KNUST appoints Prof. Ben Kwaku Branoh Banful as Provost of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Professor Ben Kwaku Branoh Banful has been appointed Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), effective 1st August, 2020. He is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture of CANR.

Professor Banful, an Associate Professor at the Department of Horticulture, KNUST holds both PhD and M.Phil degrees in Agronomy from the University of Ghana, Legon and a B.Sc. Agriculture, from the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.

He has 11 years of university teaching, research and administrative experience. Prior to his appointment as a lecturer at KNUST, he had worked for the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Crops Research Institute, Kumasi for 19 years.

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He has served as the Departmental Examinations Officer, Head of Department, Department of Horticulture; Hall Master of Queen Elizabeth II Hall at various times.

Prof. Banful is experienced in Projects management and presently serves as a Team Leader for some University-wide Projects which are both multidisciplinary and multi-Faculty.

These include KNUST-Eni Ghana OKUAFO PA Agribusiness Training Project; KNUST-KMA Kumasi Beautification Project; KNUST Environmental Beautification and Re-afforestation Project; KNUST – Local Government Service (LGS) Project on District Assemblies Enabled Programme for Accelerated Economic and Social Development at the District level; KNUST-REP Technology Promotion and Dissemination Project.

As an agronomist, his considerable research experience facilitates his mentoring of the young Faculty in their research endeavours. He is also a key player in the national agricultural sector through his membership of a number of committees which include; Committee for the Development of Fertilizer Field Testing Protocols for Ghana, Pool of experts for field testing of fertilizers and Bio-stimulants for industry clients of the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate of MOFA,

Pool of experts for field testing of Plant Growth Regulators and Pesticides for industry clients Environmental Protection Authority, Consortium of experts on entrepreneurship for commercial seed incubation business, Committee to Review Ghana Seed Regulatory Framework in line with ECOWAS Seed Regulation.

Professor Banful has over seventy-five (75) scientific publications comprising high quality journal articles, edited conference papers and production handbooks/manuals to his credit. He is also a scientific reviewer for a number of reputable international and local journals and also serves on the Editorial Board of several reputable journals.

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He has attracted Two million, Six Hundred and Forty-Five Thousand, Five Hundred and Eighty-Six US Dollars (USD 2,645,586) to KNUST from Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Ltd for a Youth Agribusiness Training and Centre Management Project from 2019 – 2021;

Fifty-Three Thousand Euros (€53,000.) from SNV Ghana to undertake plantain sucker multiplication and distribution to farmers under the SCAFS Project (May – October, 2018); Nine Hundred and Sixty-Six Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty-Six Ghana Cedis (GHC966,736) from Local Government Service (LGS) to implement the “District Assemblies Enabled Programme for Accelerated Economic and Social Development at the District Level” Project (2016-2017);

One Hundred and Ninety-Two Thousand Two Hundred Ghana Cedis (GHC192,200 i.e USD 103,891.00) from the Export Development and Agricultural Investment Fund (EDAIF) for the renovation of two plant houses and installation of two (2) greenhouses to enhance teaching, learning and research at the Department of Horticulture;

Fifty-Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHȼ55,000 i.e USD 29,729.00) from EDAIF for the training of 400 farmers in improved plantain technology in Nkoranza South District of Brong Ahafo region. Eighty-Seven Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty (GHC87,880.00 i.e USD 47,502) from AGRINOS AS, Norway for a research study titled “Effect of HYT bio-stimulants and protectants on growth, yield and postharvest quality of two varieties of plantain in a bush fallow system”;

One Hundred and Thirty-One Thousand Three Hundred and Seventy Ghana Cedis (GHC131,370.00 i.e USD 26,432.00) for the beautification of the ceremonial road from Manhyia roundabout to Airport roundabout.

Over the last eleven years, he has attracted into the University a total amount of USD3,165,069.00 (Three Million One Hundred and Sixty-Five Thousand and Sixty-Nine Dollars).