The Faculty of Engineering of the University has celebrated Women in Engineering (WiNE) with an innovation-themed seminar aimed at promoting sustainable development through female-led ingenuity.
Held on Wednesday, July 16, as part of the 2025 Engineering & Innovation Week, the seminar was themed “Designing the Future We Want: The Role of Women in Engineering in Promoting Sustainable Development.” It assembled female students, faculty, and industry leaders to inspire young women to advance national and global development goals through engineering excellence.
The event marked a standout moment in this year’s celebration, featuring student-led pitches on practical, sustainability-driven inventions. Among the standout ideas was a solar-powered irrigation backpack designed for smallholder farmers in off-grid areas. The smart device features an automated pump powered by a solar panel and rechargeable battery, improving irrigation efficiency in remote farming communities.
Another team showcased a clean energy initiative converting agricultural waste—such as cassava peels and rice husks—into eco-friendly charcoal, providing a promising solution to household air pollution.
Dr. Ing. Mrs. Patricia Asatewaa-Tannor, Patron of the HTU WiNE Chapter, applauded the students’ creativity and resilience. “This platform continues to empower our young women to dream boldly and lead responsibly in the engineering space,” she remarked.
Guest speaker Ing. Sharon Quaye, an international sustainability consultant, commended the student teams for their ingenuity. She urged them to push their innovations forward, stating, “Real change begins with ideas like these—scalable, impactful, and rooted in the needs of our communities.”
The seminar reinforces HTU’s dedication to inclusive education, gender equity, and skills development, contributing to Ghana’s broader efforts to bridge the gender gap in STEM fields.