The Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has partnered with NRD of the University of Sassari in Italy(UoS), Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), NewEnergy and Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), all based in Tamale, Northern Region of Ghana, in an EU-sponsored project. This Multi-faceted project entitled - Use of Jatropha Plant To Improve Sustainable Renewable Energy Development And Create Income-Generating Activities: An Integrated Approach to Ensure Sustainable Livelihood Conditions and Mitigate Land Degradation Effects In rural Areas of Ghana is currently being implemented in four (4) communities in the West Mamprusi district of the Northern Region of Ghana.
The overall objective is to afford rural communities of Ghana access to improved modern and renewable energy services and opportunities for communities based groups, reduce desertification effects and improve their livelihood by implementing a participatory approach at the rural community level.
TCC is required to set up a local cooperative-managed oil extraction facility for transformation and commercialisation of Jatropha-based products, and this involved training of the beneficiary communities. The first facility/Platform which contains a decorticator produced by TCC, diesel engines, and an imported oil expeller was established at Kparigu. Subsequently, a three (3)-day training in installation, operation, processing and maintenance of the installed equipment was organized from the 11th -13th November, 2013.
In all there were twelve (12) participants of the training. These included two (2) representatives from Kparigu, two (2) from Yama, two (2) from Wungu, four (4) from NewEnergy, one (1) person from MoFA and one (1) from the GRATIS Foundation. Also, Laura Chessa and her Husband from NRD, Dr. Boateng Ampadu and Samuel K. Abanyie (Two lecturers from the University of Development Studies) invited by NewEnergy as observers.
The training was highly participant-centered and a combination of participatory approaches was adopted to enhance the training. This sustained the interest of participants. It consisted of Theoretical presentation, Demonstrations, Hands-on practical. The theory was done through a flipchart presentation by Mr. Crossman Hormenoo, the Suame ITTU Manager. This was meant to introduce participants to ideas, skills and techniques. Participants were also taken through the Training Manual prepared by the TCC to facilitate its reading and also enhance their understanding.
The demonstrations and Hands-on sessions constituted the greater part of the training in view of the literacy levels of participants, and this helped to achieve the objective of the training programme. Demonstrations were corporately done by the TCC team as the trainees observed the various stages of operations, and were followed by related Hands-on practical tasks. Each participant was allowed to operate the equipment to ensure that all were confident and capable with the use of the equipment. All the training was conducted in English/Twi with Mampori interpretation to enhance understanding of participants.
At the end of each day, participants were asked a number of questions relating to the training. It was to assess their understanding of the training. Participants were also allowed to pose their questions and thereby evaluate the training programme. Open discussions on the various aspects of the sessions were be carried out. The discussion probed among other things participants' understanding of the areas taught, their appreciation of the facilitation skills and methods. The evaluation also provided an opportunity for participants to comment on the relevance of the training. This means that the views and experiences of participants were shared.
