The Vice Chancellor of Kumasi Technical University, Prof. Nana Osei-Wusu Achaw is challenging the nation to find new ways to survive in the midst of the pandemic.

He observes the pandemic has drastically changed the lives of the citizenry.

“The Covid-19 has fostered on as a situation where the way we use to do things we no longer can do; in other words, we need to find new ways and new knowledge to live our lives,” he said

Prof. Osei-Wusu Achaw was speaking at the 6^th International Conference on Applied Science and Technology (ICAST 2020).

The pandemic has negatively affected educational systems leading to the temporary closure of schools, institutions and companies across the country.

However, The Public Relations Officer of Kumasi Technical University, Dr. Charles Obeng Sarpong believes Covid-19 has had a positive impact on institutions.

According to him, the pandemic has helped institutions to be innovative.

“The Covid-19 has both positive and negative impacts. The most positive thing is that it has forced institutions to be very innovative.

‘So, everybody is forced to think outside the box, ordinarily we would have asked people to converge at the place, now, we do this via technology. For me, it is positive.”

“What it means is that it challenges others, so if you do not put on your thinking cap you will be lagging behind,” he said.

The International Conference on Applied Sciences and Technology is organized by Kumasi Technical University.

It seeks to provide platform for exchange of ideas among stakeholders.  

This year’s edition is under the theme, ‘Technical and vocational education: The bedrock for national development’’.

Local organizing committee Chairman, Dr. Felix Narku Engmann added the pandemic has challenged, ICAST to be more innovative as it is been held online.

“The challenge of Covid is to bring out of us innovation so we thought it wise to employ technology to deliver whatever academic has come up with” he noted