October 25, 2021
By: James Kamara-Manneh
President Julius Maada Bio has continued in manifesting that he is a man of his words, this he has demonstrated by inaugurating the Eastern Technical University on Saturday, 23rd October, 2021 at the Kenema City, which was a promise he made during the 2018 election campaign.
Addressing the audience, President Bio reiterated some promises he made during the 2018 election in the SLPP manifesto called the ‘People’s Manifesto that if elected his will establish a Ministry of Technical and Higher Education.
“We also promised to establish a university system that employs its own leadership as chancellors persons with distinguished and proven records of higher education leadership, significant international clout and contacts (funding and research networks), and who are reform minded,” he said.
As Champion of Human Capital Development, the President believes in empowering the human being for sustainable national development.
In accordance with the New Direction Manifesto, President Bio is no more the chancellor of any university as provided by the University Act 2021 that was enacted by the Sierra Leone Parliament earlier this year.
“Be a visitor to these Universities. I have no desire to intervene in the general governance of these institutions. I will support the institutions to develop and produce the highest quality of graduates we need for sustainable and inclusive national development,” he said.
He added that establishing this university will help to ward off laziness from young people and the culture where university graduates scramble for scanty public sector jobs must be replaced with a new “can-do” entrepreneurial and innovation mindset, as according to him that is the mindset that will create jobs, create wealth, and grow the economy of this nation.
He also called for the need of innovators, highly trained teachers, nurses and healthcare personnel, skilled technicians, and persons with skillsets who will transform the economy of this nation.
The newly inaugurated university will comprise of Faculty of Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies; a Faculty of Vocational and Skills Development Studies; a Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences; a Faculty of Engineering and Innovation; a Faculty of Development Agriculture and Natural Resource Management, a Faculty of Health Sciences and Disaster Management Studies, and a Faculty of Education.
President Bio said the scope of the university will cover translational sciences and innovation, healthcare service training and delivery, engineering, agriculture and agribusiness, natural resource management, disaster management, entrepreneurship, and teacher training and development.
The People of Kenema District, students and dignitaries were in attendance to grace the establishment of an historic site that will support education for the betterment of the country.