The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) has graduated the highest number of postgraduate doctoral (PhD) students compared to all the six colleges of the University. Professor Steve Amisah, Provost of CANR, made this announcement at the session of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources during the 52nd Congregation Ceremony of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

Professor Steve Amisah, Provost, CANR

Professor Steve Amisah said the graduation of 18 PhD students representing 31.23% during this year’s graduation ceremony is a great stride by the College, which is considered the smallest and commended the graduands.

This year, the CANR presented 436 graduands, out of which 36 obtained First Class honours, 268 Second Class Upper division,117 Second Class Lower division and 15 graduands had Pass degrees.

In his address, he stated that the College has the responsibility of managing people while training high caliber manpower for the requisite technical and entrepreneurial skills for public and private enterprises development within the confines of its mandate. He continued that through its three faculties and four research centers, agriculture has improved, particularly in the area of food production. Others are in rural development and efficient natural resources management.

Professor Amisah, highlighting some of the research funds earned said the CANR had earned five (5) major research grants from international institutions and collaborations with the United Kingdom Space Agency, ECOMETRICA, Forest Resources Technology, University of Edinburgh among others.

Mrs. Sadia Owusu Amofah, Country Director for International Union for Conservation of Nature

In her motivational speech, Mrs. Sadia Owusu Amofah, an alumna, and Country Director for International Union for Conservation of Nature, shared lessons of her life after graduation and experiences from her professional life with the graduands.

She stated that the “real world” is hard and uncertain, which would afford them the opportunity to experience failures, have lessons and rediscover themselves. She encouraged them to embrace disappointments in seeking for employment, to nurture ideas of starting businesses among others.

Mrs. Owusu Amofah encouraged the graduands to rise above the challenges that may come their way and advised them to volunteer to gain experience, continuously learn and to build on their networks.