The road and transportation industry in Ghana and West Africa will soon see some capacity improvement, as Regional Transport Research and Education Centre Kumasi (TRECK), at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi inaugurates two boards.

The International Scientific Advisory and Industrial/Sectoral Advisory Boards will ensure high level applied research, training and technology transfer to address problems of the sector in Africa.

“The International Scientific Board is supposed to guide the centre’s academic programs and research and we’ll draw on several experts with experience outside Africa including the diaspora to guide us to do cutting edge research with local relevance,”

“Because we also have to work with industry to establish the problems that they have, in order to conduct research to address these problems, that’s why we also have Industrial Sectoral Board (SAB), so that we cooperate with them to guide us in areas where they need a lot of research,” said Deputy Director of TRECK, Prof Yaw Adubofour Tuffour. 

The Africa Centre of Excellence in Transport and integrated logistics was established by the World Bank, with support from Ghana Government and is the premier ACE transport Centre in Africa. The Centre offers postgraduate education and conducts applied research with industries in Africa. 

Government is supporting the centre with $6.4 million over five years for the training of 47 PhDs, 90 MScs and over 300 short course participants in transport. 

“We’ll do short courses with industries, conduct applied research on sustainable transport, congestion mitigation, resilient infrastructure, innovative materials for road works, efficient public transport systems, road safety, environment and public health, and produce high impact publications all in the areas of transport and logistics,” Director of TRECK, Prof Charles Anum Adams, said.

The Sectorial Advisory Board is chaired by Dr John Bernard Koranteng-Yorke, representative of the Ghana Consulting Engineers Association. 

Dr Korenteng-Yorke said “TRECK is a big opportunity for Ghana and the West Africa to be able look at all the transport systems and to develop local capacity.” 

He believes the board will ensure that the Centre channel its activities into developing solutions to indigenous problems. 

“This will help us delve deep into applied research, in terms of materials used for transport infrastructure such as roads, terminals etc. and the systems that have to be developed to make our transport systems efficient,” he emphasized.

The Chair of the International Scientific Advisory board Professor Samuel Labi of Purdue University, USA said that “they are keen to support the Centre to contribute to the transformation of the transport sector in Africa.” 

Prof. Robert Clement Abaidoo who represented the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Kwasi Obiri-Danso charged the boards to provide guidance for the TRECK towards the attainment of the Sustainable development goals on hunger, health, economic development, resilient infrastructure and sustainable communities.