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Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Education, Ekow Vincent Assafuah has indicated that President Akufo-Addo together with the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh will today August 5, 2020 commission phase one of University of Environment and Sustainable Development in Somenya in the Eastern Region.

According to him, the President will again cut the sod for the commencement of phase two of the same University project which was established by an act of Parliament, Act 898.

“President Akufo-Addo is going to do two things in Somenya today; the commissioning of phase one of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) and the sod-cutting of phase two of the same project [UESD],” he said.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Ekow Vincent mentioned that the university project which according to the NDC’s handing-over note should have started on December 30, 2016, suffered some financial and contractual challenges on the site for the construction, pushing the project to start in January 2018.

“This University was established by an act of Parliament, Act 898 and sod was cut to start phase one of the university on 30th of December 2016 and it was about 8 days to swear-in President Akufo-Addo and due to financial and contractual challenges to either construct the university in Donkorkrom or Bunso pushed the project to start in January 2018 and this is actually seen in the handing-over note of the NDC,” he indicated.

“The amount that was used for the phase one of the university projects in the NDC handing-over note is 45.575 million pounds from the Dutch Bank in a commercial agreement with an Italian Construction Company for us to be able to finish with the phase one because at the time there was a delay of the project after the amount had been secured from this bank,” he added.

Some of the facilities captured in the phase one of the university are 13 lecture hall blocks with a total seating capacity of one 1,545 and some of the lecture halls have video-conference rooms, telecom rooms, student common rooms, etc.

Phase one also has a 252-seater multi-purpose hall block, control room, 100-seater dining room, etc. Phase one also include the Vice Chancellor’s residency as well as the Pro-Vice Chancellor’s residency and a key officer’s residency. Student hostel block with 80-bed capacity is part of phase one of the university which started in January 2018.

Touching on phase two of the same project, the Public Relations Officer for the Education Ministry revealed 49 million pounds as the amount involved to complete phase two of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development. The contractual agreement has given 30 months for the completion of the second phase.

He, therefore, divulged that the University of Environment and Sustainable Development will begin admission for the 2020/2021 academic year as there is an interim council to ensure that there will be an admission to take students to start their tertiary education.

“It is important to announce that because an interim council has been formed earlier this year, the 2020/2021 academic year will take off in the university; if it is going to take off, two things come to play; the issues of staff and admission. with regards to admission, the interim council is going to ensure that in the 2020/2021 academic year, there will be an admission to take students to start their tertiary education,” he unveiled.

He again hinted that the Ministry of Finance has given financial clearance for the recruitment of an initial of 300 staff to ensure a smooth take-off of the university academic activities.

He added that as a part of the agreement to have another campus of the University at Bunsu, the Akufo-Addo government has secured 90 million dollars in 2018 from the Exim Bank of South Korea to complete the Bunsu project.

“The Ministry of Finance has given financial clearance for us to be able to recruit an initial staff of 300 to ensure a smooth take-off of the university. Apart from phases one and two in Somenya, part of the agreement is to have another campus of the university in Bunso. The project is in the process as we speak, I can say that the amount of 90 million dollars we were able to secure in 2018 from the Exim Bank of South Korea is there to complete the Bunsuo project,” he hinted.

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