The Coalition for Accountable Leadership (COFAL), a student activist and policy analyst group, has called on SRC Presidents of public universities in Ghana to invest a portion of SRC dues on low risk but high returns ventures. This was contained in a press statement the group copied to myJCR News. Please read the full press statement below.
The SRC must start investing a portion of its funds in low risk and high returns areas so as to increase its asset base. It can invest in both the money and capital markets by purchasing treasury bills and bonds. The profits or dividends accrued can be used to finance projects or ploughed back and ripped in the medium to long term.
This can be done through the already existing structures of the SRC. The SRC Treasurer can collaborate with other stakeholders to develop a very feasible investment plan and budget some amount to be used as start-up capital for investment. For instance, in KNUST the SRC Treasurer can collaborate with the TRATEK Co-coordinator and the KNUST Centre for Business Development can be tapped as a potential for this purpose.
In the 21st Century, we must advance in our thinking and ways of doing things if really we expect a sporadic transformation of the society and a paradigm shift. A 21st century student of a university of science and technology must be more scientific, innovative and creative and device technological ways of dealing with the day to day problems of society.
As students if we are not able to practice what we learn in our immediate environment where lies the guarantee that we would be able to practice it in the outside, more challenging and highly unfavorable outside world. As the saying goes “you cannot eat your cake and expect to have it back neither can you keep on doing the same things and expect different results”. Our modus operandi is traditionally conservative and consumption oriented where we spend what we earn (dues collected). This stifles investments so as to accrue more in order to meet the increasing needs we are constantly engulfed with.
In the area of inadequate accommodation facilities, we respectfully submit that the SRC/University authorities can enter into partnerships like Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) with private institutions. Whereby the private operator would be given free land as an incentive to put up accommodation facilities, own such facilities and operate for some number of years so as to break even and if possible make some amount of profit and afterwards transfer the ownership of the facilities to the university authorities.
Alagskomah Eugene Savio
(President, COFAL-KNUST)
Contact: 0501378437
Boakye Dankwah
(General Secretary, COFAL-KNUST)
Contact: 0246758173
