The Head of the Department of Silviculture and Forest Management (DSFM) at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Joana Akua Serwaa Ameyaw, has underscored the department’s renewed focus on innovation and collaboration.
Speaking at a departmental retreat held to review progress and outline new strategies, Dr. Joana highlighted the importance of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and strengthening partnerships to enhance teaching, research, and student outcomes.
She noted that this approach will ensure alignment with emerging trends in education and industry.
“We have a good understanding, having finished our summer school recently, that AI is an important tool, and we need to strengthen our capacity to understand how to harness it so that we can work better.
“We don’t want students to rely on AI to generate everything for them without having a good understanding of the concepts they are engaging with,” she stressed.
Highlighting the department’s forward-looking approach, Dr. Joana noted the need to constantly review academic programmes to ensure they remain relevant to the evolving needs of industry.
“It is important that we reflect on what we do in terms of academic programmes and align them with the changing needs of industry to ensure that the students we train are well-equipped not only with knowledge but with practical skills as well,” she said.
Senior Lecturer, Prof. Kyere Boateng, who has served in the department for over four decades, reflected on its transformation and enduring relevance.
He noted that the department’s initial focus was on maintaining forests as productive ecosystems to supply essential benefits.
“At the beginning, our focus was more on the forest and making sure it remained a productive ecosystem,” he recounted. “But with time, we added on to ensure that practitioners could effectively engage with communities that own forests, as well as other stakeholders interested in sustainable forest management,” he said.
“We’ve expanded and grown to embrace new ideas and new needs in the sector. The development has been steady and progressive, and I believe we have maintained our relevance both in Ghana and beyond,” he affirmed.
The retreat aimed to chart a clear roadmap for growth by developing a three-year action plan outlining immediate priorities for the next semester and long-term goals to strengthen the department’s overall performance.
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