Wiamoase: The Technology Consultancy Center International Centre for Innovation, Manufacturing, Technology Transfer, and Entrepreneurship (TCC-CIMET) located at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has trained 40 members of the Wiamoase community in soap making.

According to Ghana News Agency, the training was organized as part of the World Engineering Day celebrations to equip participants with the skills to produce both bar and liquid soaps. This session is in line with TCC-CIMET’s commitment to empowering local communities through skills development, technology transfer, and sustainable economic initiatives.

Mr. Kenneth Donkor, a Research Fellow at TCC, emphasized during the training at Wiamoase in the Sekyere South District of Ashanti, that the initiative aimed to provide community members with additional sources of income alongside their primary occupation as farmers. He acknowledged Wiamoase as a farming community and assured that while agricultural training is in future plans, the current focus is on equipping participants with soap-making skills as a supplementary business.

Mr. Donkor noted that these skills could help community members generate income while waiting for the main planting seasons. He also mentioned that future training programs would include sessions on biochar production, an innovative method of producing eco-friendly charcoal. Samples of charcoal produced through this process were shown to participants to give them a fair understanding.

Mrs. Agnes Oppong, also a Research Fellow at TCC, supervised the training and urged participants to prioritize safety when practicing soap making at home by using protective gear and working in well-ventilated areas. She stressed the importance of careful handling of some chemicals involved in soap making.

Community members expressed appreciation for the training, highlighting its impact on their livelihoods. The KNUST TCC-CIMET, a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence, conducts engineering research, specializes in advanced manufacturing, transfers technology, trains entrepreneurs, and supports small and medium-scale industries in Ghana.