Five students from the School of Agriculture are set to construct a modern for the people of Duakor, a fishing community in the Central Region. They are Messrs Osei Emmanuel, Danso Tony and Godswill Hygienus Miss. The rest are Miss Adeisu Diana Vigah and Miss Adjoa Owusuwaa. The gesture formed part of a seed capital of GH¢ 10,000 the students won during the 2017 Community Service Project initiated by the Osei- Kusi Foundation (OKF) and Selfless for Africa. Out of the amount, the students will use GH 7,000.00 to build the modern fish smoking device. Usually, fishmongers in the Duakro community use firewood to process fish and indulged in unhygienic fish handling and post-harvest practices. Additionally, this method of processing fish has dire health implications for the fishmongers. It is against this backdrop that the students, led by the Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof. L.K Sam Amoah, paid a visit to the Chief of Duakro, Togbe Ahiadu Ayivi II, at his Palace. During the meeting, Mr. Danso Tony, who spoke on behalf of the students, briefed the Chief about the project and requested a plot to construct the machine. According to him, the high-powered machine would prevent fish processors from inhaling smoke and also safeguard their health. The Dean of the School of Agriculture, Prof. Elvis Bediako, called for collaboration of the fishmongers to make the project a success and pleaded with them to embrace the new technology to improve on their health. For his part, Togbe Ahiadu Ayivi expressed gratitude to the students for the gesture of goodwill. He was of the firm assurance that a plot would be zoned to enable the students to put up the device. It would be recalled that the students represented the University at a Community Service Project Award in 2017 at the Accra International Conference Center. At the end of the fiercely contested competition, the students won the community project. For their prize, the students were presented with a seed capital of 10,000 Cedis to build a modern fish smoking device for fish mongers in a community called Duakro, near Cape Coast in the Central region. Present at the meeting were Dr. Francis Kumi, a lecturer at the School and the College Registrar, Mrs. Mildred Asmah.
