The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has initiated a building project in the Upper East Region to serve as one of its satellite campuses.
The three-storey multipurpose building project located at Zuarungu near the Bolgatanga Municipality, when completed next year, would have lecture halls for both undergraduate and post-graduate students, with facilities such ICT, furnished library, laboratories, toilet facilities, and lift, among others.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony at Zuarungu, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor D.D. Kuupole, said the project was being funded from the University’s Internally Generated Funds.
He said it was part of the University’s efforts at complementing governments to provide accessible, quality tertiary education, and expressed the hope that it would break the cycle of poverty and help accelerate the area’s development.
The Vice Chancellor stated that one of the reasons that informed the University to establish the campus was not only to make education accessible to the people alone, to cut down the hectic time students went through by traveling for long distances in search of tertiary education which of often resulted in some losing their lives through accidents.
He commended the chiefs and people of Zuarungu for releasing such a vast land for the project, and Professor Emmanuel Abole, a lecturer of the University who is an indigene, for playing an instrumental role in the establishment of the project.
The Provost in charge of the College of Distance Education, Professor George Oduro, who kicked against the idea of Government winning Tertiary institutions from its subvention, stated that the decision was not necessary since most of the tertiary educational institutions were already doing a lot, and cited the number of Satellite Campuses the University had built, as examples.
The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Daniel Syme, was full of praise to the Management of the University, and said it would play a major role in reducing poverty among people in the area, as well as bring a lot of development to the region.
The Deputy Minister entreated students from the region to take advantage of the facility, and said it would also help attract students from neighbouring countries, like Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo, Niger and Mali, which was closer to the Region.
The chiefs and people of Zuarungu expressed happiness about the project, and pledged to co-operate with the contractor to complete the project on time.
They announced that they had secured and mapped another area that could be used for a similar purpose, and invited other tertiary institutions which would want to widen their scope into the region, not to hesitate to contact them.
