The management of the University of Ghana (UG) has handed over a parcel of land on the Legon campus to the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG) to begin the construction of a new students’ hostel.
The project, which will be funded by students, is expected to ease the perennial accommodation challenges at the university.
The first phase will deliver a 1,000-bed capacity facility.
At the handover ceremony on Thursday, Vice-Chancellor of UG, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo commended the student leadership for their vision, describing the initiative as a bold step towards addressing one of the institution’s most pressing challenges.
“I will like to particularly commend our students’ leaders, the SRC and the GRASAG for the idea of coming together to support with the burden of students hostels. They have decided to levied themselves for this project and they are working with the support of the development board.”
She urged them to demonstrate transparency and accountability throughout the project’s execution. “I will like to remind them that, these monies, once they have hit our accounts becomes public funds and so it is important that they abide by all the public financial management processes.”
Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Gordon Akanzuwine Awandare also highlighted the significance of the project, noting its potential to improve student welfare and the learning environment on campus.
“The impact will be huge. A hostel by the students, for the students and manage by the students so that is a very powerful message that students are now willing to work with management to solve problems.”
“This is a student-led initiative, the students out of their own freewill decided to contribute towards this. It is initially a two projects, but they decided to come together and make it one so that it will be faster because if they put the resources together they will have more money to finish one faster than if they were going to build two at the same time,” he added.
SRC Vice-President Jeffrey Adu-Yeboah, speaking on behalf of the students, said the project was borne out of the urgent need to find sustainable solutions to the university’s accommodation crisis. “Indeed there are a lot of students out there that lack accommodation and they want to be on campus.”
He expressed optimism that the initiative would set a precedent for student-driven development at the institution.
The land, a five-hectare parcel is located near the Small Animal Hospital on the university campus.