President John Dramani Mahama has cut sod to kick-start work on the construction of the first public University to be established in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
The President, on Thursday, 29th December, 2016 performed a ground breaking ceremony for work to commence on the University of Environment and Sustainable Development in fulfilment of his campaign promise to the people of Yilo Krobo in the Eastern region during this year’s elections.
“I will not take your support for granted. What is due you as your fair share of the national cake, I will make sure that you get it.
“We have legislation of the Eastern University currently before parliament and that university in Kroboland will make the area a citadel of education in Ghana. It will specialise in Environmental Studies and Agriculture. We know majority of residents [here] are farmers and it will focus on research to help productivity,” Mr Mahama said during his Accounting to the People tour in April this year.
Despite losing the 2016 presidential election to Nana Addo Dankwa akufo-Addo of the New Patroitic Party (NPP), who is a son of the region, President Mahama returned to Yilo Krobo to dig the ground for the commencement of the project, with only few days to handover.
It was an emotional return for the president as some of the residents were seen wailing and exchanging pleasantries with the president.
Speaking at the ceremony, President John Mahama stated that the university is expected to ensure equitable access to tertiary education.
“The university will feature general and specialised degrees in order to fill in the gaps and ensure the completeness of training for environmental and sustainable development professionals.
“…The University will also provide courses in urban architecture, natural resources and environmental economics, environmental policy and environment science will also feature as key areas of study.
The president also said a complete modern institute of higher learning, with academic facilities, residential facilities for students, staff bungalows will be constructed on the site in Somanya.
“The university will be a multi campus institution. The main campus will be on this site and the second campus will be constructed in Donkorkrom on the Afram plains also in the Eastern Region,” he said.
