Ghanaian scientists develop moisture meter 

A six member research team of the Department of Agriculture and Biosystems engineering of the College of Engineering of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and technology has developed a moisture meter to mitigate post-harvest losses of various grains. 

The project which was in collaboration with USAID has reduced the cost of assembling each equipment from One thousand 500 US dollar as sold in the USA to only 50 US dollar. 

It is believed that the mass production of the equipment will feed into government flaship agriculture programme" Planting for Food and Jobs initiative". 

The Provost of the College of Engineering of KNUST, Prof. Mark Adom Asamoah disclosed this at the 52nd Congregation of KNUST in Kumasi. Razak Baba has more. 

The College of Engineering continue to embark on vigorous academic research with responsibility to provide the full range of the engineering manpower required for national development. 

The extension activities undertaken by the college include the design and development of hybrid solar-biomass maize dryer for farmers at Wenchi in the Bono-Ahafo and Jamasi in the Ashanti regions benefitted from training on the feed the future innovation laboratory on reduction of post harvest loss and the Gari processing project at Kenyasi with support from UNDP. 

Prof. Mark Adom Asamoah said the college of engineering being a discipline that trains professionals can never operate outside its industrial partners. 

These industrial partners continue to provide the college with financial support, vacation training places assign their experienced engineers to supervise students and help to evaluate the performance of its students during the vacation training. 

He emphasised that as the premier engineering training institution in the country the college has the responsibility to provide the full range of the engineering manpower required for national development. 

To position itself to meet this responsibility in a changing environment, the college next academic year is bringing on board five new postgraduate programmes, these include Master transport planning, Air transport and aviation management, disaster prevention and management, intellectual property and Mphil power systems engineering. 

The provost announced that, for the first time , the college is embarking on inter-collegiate programmes with the college of Art and Built environment and the college of humanities and social sciences. 

In addition three new undergraduate programmes Bachelor automobile engineering, industrial and Marine engineering will be introduced nexg academic year. 

A total of eigth hundred years and 8 fresh graduates from 15 differents programme for graduated. 

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