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Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA), Professor Joshua Alabi, has said he helped the school to save an amount of GHc16 million before going on retirement.

According to him, prior to taking over as Vice-Chancellor, the university hitherto had a number of infrastructure challenges, adding that its students were studying under trees and shed.

He recounted that the school’s campus in the past usually got flooded anytime it rained, but said with good leadership skills, he was able to turn things around at the school from a deplorable state to an enviable status.

“When I took over, students at the school attended lectures under trees and sheds. We could not go for lectures when it rained. The campus also got flooded when it rained.”

Alabi noted that in a bid to boost infrastructure at the school which was previously called Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), he took a number of credit facilities to elevate the school into a world-class university.

“…By the time I finished my work at the school and went on retirement, I had paid all the debts of all the projects which I constructed and I left at the bank, GHc16 million for the school. It wasn’t a loan; it was the saving I made for the school for other projects to take off,” he added in an interview on Asempa FM political talk show, Ekosii sen on Monday.

The former UPSA Vice-Chancellor said when he wanted to develop the school, he had the go-ahead from the board to go for bank loans, but only one bank offered to help them.“When I wanted to develop the school, my council agreed that we should apply for a loan from the banks. It was very difficult. So we wanted to engage the banks on build operate and transfer basis. The only bank that helped us was Intercontinental bank [now Access bank]. We didn’t even have money to by A4 sheets… they gave us GHc50, 000. When the bank completed the project, one year after handing over we were able to pay back the loan. We admitted more students because we had a lecture hall that could take 6,000 students. We started another project, the auditorium,” he added.

Naming UPSA after me not necessary

President Akufo-Addo recently announced that UPSA will be named after its founder, Nana Opoku Ampomah.

However, there are assertions that considering the work done by Prof. Alabi, UPSA should have been named after Alabi.

But the Prof. Alabi told the host of the Ekosii Sen that naming the school after him was not necessary. “On concerns about naming the university after me, that is not why I went to the school. My work at the school was out of passion and the fact that I wanted to succeed,” he added.

Joshua Alabi for president

Professor Alabi is seeking to become the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 20220 general elections.

He is hopeful of leading the NDC into the election, and has promised to make Ghana the “Swiss of Africa” should he become President.

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