President Mills receives report on proposed public universities
President John Atta Mills on Thursday received the report of the Planning and Implementation Committee of the two proposed public universities in the Brong Ahafo and Volta regions, and said the recommendations would be implemented without any delay.
He said the promise to establish the universities is not an empty one, and work on the projects would begin in the next few months.
The Committee, chaired by Professor Samuel Sefah-Dedeh of the University of Ghana, together with Convener Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah, presented the three-volume report to the President at the Osu Castle in Accra.
Vice President John Dramani Mahama had inaugurated the Committee in 2009 and charged it among other things to develop, organise and supervise the establishment of the University of Health and Allied Sciences in the Volta Region, and the University of Energy and Natural Resources in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The proposed Universities, which are in fulfillment of the manifesto of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2008 electioneering campaign, are also to produce graduates, who are versatile to academia, industry and medical practice.
Parliament last December passed two bills: The University of Health and Allied Sciences Bill, 2011 and the University of Energy and Natural Resources Bill, 2011 for the establishment of the two universities.
President Mills expressed gratitude of the Government and people of Ghana to the members of the Committee for the Report, describing the content as being drawn from the cream of academia.
President Mills, himself a former don at the Law Faculty of the University of Ghana, Legon, observed that a university could not be established overnight, but any modern university should win the repute, respect and admiration of the international community with well thought-out programmes that would inure to the benefit of the people.
President Mills urged the members of the Committee, not to consider themselves as having being “discharged”, indicating that their services would still be needed in the administration of the universities, either as to serve on councils or boards of the two institutions.
Prof Sefah-Dedeh said he worked with a very exciting team, and expressed the gratitude of the team to the President for the assignment, and for working alongside the President to bring the universities into fruition.
He expressed the hope that the universities would produce the required graduates for the national development drive.
The University of Health and Allied Sciences will create and enhance access to tertiary education as well as train the needed specialists in the areas of Science and Health Sciences.
It will be sited at Sokode, near Ho in the Volta Region.
The University of Energy and Natural Resources, which will be sited in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, will also create and enhance access to tertiary education and train specialists in energy and natural resources for national development.
Source: GNA