University of Ghana is engaging the private sector to increase accommodation stock – Vice Chancellor

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Nana Aba Amfo says the school is in talks with private stakeholders in the perspective of increasing the accommodation stock.

Her comment comes as part of discussions surrounding the perennial accommodation crisis the university battles with each year at the start of every academic year.

In an interview with UniversNews at the launch of the one student one laptop policy in R. S Amegashie Auditorium UG, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo admitted that the school is experiencing a deficiency in residential spaces for students describing it as a ‘huge bed deficit’.

“We are engaging various private sector participants so that we are able to increase our accommodation stock in the near future. I do know that our current bed capacity is about twenty-five thousand and our students on Legon, Korle-Bu campus maybe more than forty thousand or forty-five thousand, so there is a huge bed deficit,” the Vice-Chancellor said.

She touted one of her achievements of setting up an off-campus accommodation committee, while serving as the then Pro-Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academics and Students Affairs (Pro VC ASA), to seek residential facilities on the outskirts of the University.

According to her, the current Pro Vice-Chancellor ASA and Chairman of the residential board, Prof. Gordon Awandare identified thirty facilities close to the Legon campus that meet the key criteria for off-campus accommodation for UG students.

She added the University of Ghana Computing System (UGCS) will circulate the information to students by the end of January 10, 2022 week for interested students to apply.

“The accommodation team that was set up during my time as the Pro VC has done a lot of work and the current Pro Vice-Chancellor informs me that tomorrow I think Friday [January 14, 2022], they are currently working with UGCS to make the information available online because the committee went to inspect facilities for those who showed interest when we advertised.

So I believe that in the coming week the information off campus available accommodation spots will be made to the students so that they can take advantage of those opportunities,” The Vice-Chancellor said.