The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) has commenced a Chemistry Festival to promote environmental safety with emphasis on the need to encourage young learners to pursue its study to the higher level academically and professionally.

The four-day international festival, being organised in collaboration with the American Chemical Society (ACS), one of the largest problem-solving societies in the world is the first of its kind in the country.

On the theme “Chemistry Recreates Nature” with participants from countries, including the United States of America, Tanzania, Nigeria, Montenegro, Botswana and Cameroon is programmed with daily chemical sciences training workshops and other related activities.

Addressing the opening ceremony on Monday at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region, Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the university stated development in science and technology increased productivity and consequently changed the socio-economic lives of humanity.

“The human environment is crippled with a lot of challenges,” he indicated, “consequently the Ghanaian chapter of the ACS is ready to foster and nurture young frontiers to bring values and ethical contribution to the Ghanaian society,” the VC assured.

Prof. Asare-Bediako emphasised the Chemical Sciences study and research was potential to deal with challenges confronting water safety, climate emission and other environmental degradation factors.

The festival would therefore motivate students in the study of science generally and chemistry related programmes to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education initiative by government, he added.

Prof. Asare-Bediako said human survival depended on chemistry and therefore commended the ACS for the partnership and support for the UENR and Ghana Chapters of the Society and emphasised the need for the festival to be an annual fare in Ghana.

Professor Emmanuel Marfo, the Head of Chemistry Department at the UENR in a remark said the Chemical Society analysed and solved very pressing and complex global issues, saying

“Chemistry plays a central role in the daily lives of people because Chemistry is life”.

Through the application of Chemistry, the lives of people were transformed to improve and enhance the safety of the world, Prof. Marfo added.

In a speech read on her behalf, Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, said “the region is known as the green region and the food basket of Ghana”, hence the promotion of the study of Chemistry to reduce greenhouse effect for sustainable development is a laudable one because it would contribute to enhance the production of natural resources in the region and the country at large.

SOURCE: Newsghana

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