Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education Prof. Kwesi Yankah, has said government is not interested in building universities simply for votes.
“Let me emphasise that this government led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo is not interested in building Universities simply for votes or for that matter thanking supportive constituencies with Universities, and conversely denying constituencies of facilities and institutions, as sanctions for votes that have been thrown away to other partiesâ€, he said.
Prof. Yankah was speaking during the 18th Congregation of the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS).
He noted that government would continue to encourage the setting up of Universities whose courses and programmes responded to the nation’s strategic needs and developmental priorities.
“As I speak now the Italian firm which was awarded the contract to start work at the University site in Somanya, is preparing to move to site before this November endsâ€, adding that architectural designs originally presented have undergone changes, and that all was set for the project to kick start.
Additionally, he announced that government would build a University at Bunso that will specialise in Agriculture and Agro-entrepreneurship on one hand, as well as have a school of Engineering and Technology.
The Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education explained that in selecting Bunso, government took into consideration a pre-existing hub of agricultural related institutions that could network and transform the location into a formidable research triangle and a centre of excellence.
The institutions, he said included University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies at Bunso, the Cocoa College (belonging to the Cocoa Board), the Cocoa Research Institute at Tafo, and a research facility belonging to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
A total of 2,338 students graduated from the Wa campus of UDS while a total of 3,024 would be graduating in Tamale on November 18, 2017.