Grounds were on Tuesday broken to pave the way for the construction of a three-wing hostel complex at the northern campus of the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The five-storey hostel, estimated at GHȼ34 million, being constructed by Top International Engineering Company Limited (TIEC) will accommodate 1,184 students and is expected to be completed within 24 months.
Twenty-Four million cedis of the total amount for the project is a loan from the Prudential Bank whilst the Government of Ghana would foot the rest of the cost under the direction of UCC-GUSSS Management Board.
Professor John Nelson Boah, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the UCC and Mr John Yaw Opoku, Chairman of Superannuation Management Committee, jointly performed the ceremony at the construction site adjacent the Students Representative Council Hostel.
According to Mr Opoku, the Ghana University Staff Superannuation Scheme (GUSSS) initiated the project to diversify the scheme’s investment ideas as well as to help reduce the accommodation challenge of the university.
He said the hostel had been designed to facilitate the provision of effective security and fire safety utility services such as supply of water storage facility, accessible ICT connectivity, a friendly ambience and a conducive environment.
Mr Opoku said it also had 63 spacious rooms with special washroom facilities for easy access especially for physically challenged students and each room will be fitted with kitchenettes, bath and washrooms en-suite.
The complex will also have study rooms, a library at each floor, a stand-by plant to provide power supply in case of power outage and five grocery shops, a unisex salon, a pharmacy shop as well as photocopy centers.
On recreational centers, he said the complex would also have a large courtyard, basketball and tennis courts.
Prof. Nelson Buah, who chaired the ceremony, said the project was a future investment and hence all the needed attention and interest would be geared into its early completion for the benefit of the institution.
He said most of the university’s projects had been abandoned due to lack of funds and urged management of the UCC-GUSSS Committee to maintain the project to help solve the accommodation problem of the university.
