Pursuant to Article 257,”All public lands in Ghana shall be vested in the President on behalf of and in trust for, the people of Ghana”. It is on this basis that you should be concerned about the current development Your Excellency. I must admit that, your Personal Assistant is a representation of your humility when I visited the Presidency this January.

Sir, even if you could not have the time to read the content of the petition addressed to you on the continuous delay of our land compensation payment, I am certain His Lordship Justice Jones Dotse who is the current Governing Council Chairman might have hinted you of our plight, hunger, deprivation and hopelessness. He may not forget to inform you that at least four people have already died and some hospitalized while looking for money to pay their bills.

Your constant reminder to Ghanaians to be citizens, not spectators got me listening to your inaugural speech once again. Oh, I just remembered how that speech got even the patriotic Ghanaian JHS &SHS graduates define plagiarism to the amusement of the PhD holders.

But Sir should we the 77 very poor UHAS landowners also feel to be citizens and not spectators? We rather are compelled to feel that we have committed a crime, a crime that we also own pieces of land.

What crime have we committed to own a piece of land some of which are from retirement packages? Are our properties not protected by Article 20 but today are dispossessed again by the same law?

What crime have we committed that, our lands needed to be expropriated since 2011 and had to struggle to compel Government to issue an Executive Instrument (E.I) in 2013.

What crime have committed also that, the Lands Commission would have to drag and delay technical processes and compensation processing for a whopping 3 years.

What crime again have we committed that, after spending 3 years at the Lands Commission to process documents leading to offer and acceptance until December 2016, it had to take 5 months to request for the fund to pay us on 15^th May, 2017.

What worse crime have we committed that, after due processes and request for payment by the Lands Commission through the Lands and Natural Resources Minister to the Hon. Minister of Finance as at 15^th May, 2017, the release of funds is still an issue. Why.

It is very sad that, people today at the Finance Ministry are behaving as if UHAS does not exist and even if exists, it is strange to be located on a land. Isn’t it strange that, as at December, 2017, the Finance Ministry will be requesting from an existing University why they needed 702 acres of land to exist?

I really have my doubts whether the same question was asked by the same people at the Finance Ministry when public lands were shared like “KELEWELE” some few months or years ago in Ghana.

Are we denied what is due us because we do not belong to the political class? Maybe we are not road and sanitation contractors who will pay 10% and in addition, finance political campaigns in 2020. Maybe we are not powerful chiefs that can command political votes.

It is shameful that, in January 2018, Finance Ministry would need to send an official to UHAS to seek a personal opinion whereas detailed information was provided by the same institution earlier upon the request of Finance Ministry on the total use of the land. Is it that, some people still have the belief that, UHAS is nonexistent? This is a complete insult on us.

We hope the landowners of the new Public University in the Eastern Region are also being humiliated, disrespected, and frustrated just like us from the Volta region. How can we be rendered poor, hopeless, hungry and frustrated by our fellow Ghanaians, the majority of which are Christians who never miss religious services on Sundays.

What is our crime Mr. President, look at how landowners are rendered hopeless?

Today Financial institutions are at the heels of some landowners because they acquired loans to send their children to school, while children of the Rich, Politicians and powerful in society ride comfortably in a university-branded air-conditioned bus to’ and fro’ school. This is indeed a nation where inequality is publicly abhorred but actively celebrated and practised by the politicians and the powerful against the poor in society.

While I conclude Mr. President, we the poor UHAS landowners of UHAS are looking up to your immediate intervention and payment. It seems to us that, some individuals at the Finance Ministry are bent on further delaying what is legally and constitutionally due us.

Sir, the application for release of funds for compensation payment had duly been forwarded to Finance Ministry as May, 2017. May you make us become citizens and not spectators. I thank you.

–

Kormlah Dzidzor ([email protected])

The post Poor UHAS landowners’ compensation delay; what is our crime Mr. President? [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Since 2014, many Ghanaians got MIGS and escaped from the lifelong everyday eye drops usage.

Requiring just 10-minutess to complete the procedure, the MIGS involves the Surgeon creating a tiny channel, to relieve pressure off the eye causing some improved vision which ultimately eliminates the use of eye drops by patients.

Having undergone several trials globally, various forms of MIGS have been touted as the fastest, most effective and most affordable way of treating glaucoma which the Glaucoma Association of Ghana (GAG) estimates about 700,000 people living with the condition in Ghana.

In the past, glaucoma patients resorted to either the traditional glaucoma surgery, which many surgeons and patients disliked because of its related complications or used eye drops which leaves some patients complaining about itchiness and pain sometimes after its use.

Experts claim on the average, a glaucoma patient spends about GHc260.00 per month on drugs and this places huge financial burdens on many families in Ghana. The Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery is not an expensive procedure.

Currently, and henceforth UHAS is running glaucoma awareness campaigns in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Breman Asikuma and Takoradi, where patients living outside Ho or the Volta region can call 0559480853 for screening appointments for the MIGS procedures.

Speaking to the media, Head of the Ophthalmology department at UHAS, Dr. Alfred Osafo Kwaako said, “Many glaucoma patients are using several medications which can be very burdensome especially for elderly patients and people suffering from conditions like arthritis”.

He further advised Ghanaians to go for frequent checkups on their eyes because early detection was key in the treatment of glaucoma.

“The Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery is not an expensive procedure, patients with the National Health Insurance cards are required to top up a little, whiles non-card holders will only pay just about 1000 GHC and say goodbye to their eye drops for good,” Dr. Kwaako added.

Experts estimate that about 60 million people worldwide have the disease, a figure expected to shoot up to 80 million by the year 2020, 30 million of the number, do not know of their condition while nine million have gone blind.

–

Source: UHAS

The post UHAS introduces painless surgery for glaucoma treatment appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In a letter sent to Citi FM, a disgruntled landowner, Felix Komlah Mensah, said despite the provisions made in the constitution for prompt compensation for such compulsory acquisition of land by the state, successive governments have failed to meet that obligation.

He said after several petitions and legal battles, cabinet under the erstwhile Mahama government approved the payment, and gave assurances to release the money.

He however says after they spent money to process land documents upon the requests of the government, the monies were never released.

“Mr. Avle, the statement of the former President was corroborated by officials of the Attorney General’s Department at a meeting with them in Accra after we went to the Ho high court to seek an injunction on the university that, indeed enough amount of money was placed in an escrow account solely for the payment of UHAS land compensation.The question now is, how come that after signing our Offer for almost a year, payment from an escrow account is still an issue for the Finance Ministry” he stated.

Mr. Komlah Mensah also lamented the use of the property by politicians, staff, and students, without due diligence made to property owners.

“Bernard, I wish to illustrate our plight by the photograph above, where the lean, poor and hungry man is UHAS landowners, whiles the big/fat man being carried is the University community comprising of members of the Government (Politicians),Governing Council ,Vice-Chancellor and Lecturers who get well paid, contractors who execute lofty contracts, the soon to be built 300 PPP comfortable housing  scheme for lecturers among others, whilst the owners of the land are left to wallow in abject poverty and frustration. As for the law, its rightful or wrongful application is in the hands of the rich who are made up of politicians.”

Government, through an Executive Instrument (EI), compulsorily acquired the lands for the first public university in the Volta Region, which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011.

Appealing to the current government to respond to their concerns, Felix Mensah called for the disbursement of the money saved in the escrow account.

Find below the full petition

PETITION TO APPEAL TO FINANCE MINISTRY TO PAY COMPENSATION TO FRUSTRATED OWNERS OF THE 702 ACRES UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND ALLIED SCIENCES (UHAS) LAND, HO

Hello Mr. Bernard Koku Avle, this letter is to inform and appeal to your outfit of my plight and other 77 frustrated land owners of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho who have been delayed/denied payment for lands compulsorily acquired in 2012 by the state.

Despite cabinet approval for payment of our compensation, the Finance Ministry is yet to honor that approval for payment. We have recognized the numerous results that relevant radio led by you and CitiFM has brought to numerous vulnerable Ghanaians. We therefore put this petition before you to help us since high level diplomacy has failed.

BACKGROUND

The University of Health and Allied Sciences was established by an act of Parliament in 2012. Subsequent to that was the need to build infrastructure leading to the invocation of Article 20 of the 1992 constitution of Republic of Ghana.

However, sections of Article 20 were abused with respect to a non consultation with land owners before entering the land, followed by the deliberate delay in payment till today, October 2017. However in the public interest, we allowed for use of our land whiles government take steps to pay us promptly.

PROCESSES

We were then required to engage the services of a consultant, certainly not for free to write to the president. An Executive Instrument was then issued in 2013. Survey and mapping then began and completed which brought out a composite plan, followed by valuation at the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission all of which revolved around the many bureaucracies in our state institutions.

In November2016, after a long undue delay and frustration, the Lands Commission Board approved the valuation and payment which came in the form of Offer and Acceptance. All land owners accepted their Offers in December, 2016. Following the delay in payment before the previous government under which the offer was signed left office, our signed and accepted Offers were then subjected to reconsideration by the new Lands Commission Board in April, 2017.

It was then approved and forwarded by the Lands Commission to the sector ministry, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources with all delays expected of our government institutions.  Clearance for payment was then given by the Minister and forwarded to the Finance ministry in June 2017. I really doubt any office of the Finance Ministry our documents did not pass.

Bernard, we were then told that, our payment needed to be approved by Cabinet. The Schedule Officer then forwarded same to Cabinet. Fortunately, without much delay, Cabinet gave approval for payment.

Now we came back to the Finance Ministry for payment to be effected. Since July, 2017, Bernard in fact, I can say on authority that , our consultant have done all necessary administrative procedures required for payment  to be effected, but never have we been paid till today.

Several pleadings from some powerful people who share in our plight to get the Finance Minister pay us for our own property forcibly taken from us proved futile till now. In fact, the Finance Minister is very much aware our plight.

PROMISES FROM FORMER PRESIDENT AND A.G’s DEPARTMENT

Bernard, promises of payment began from our former President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. On two occasions; at the commissioning and first congregation of UHAS, the promise of the availability of the money for compensation was made known to us, as being deposited and payment was only awaiting completion of the processes at the Lands Commission at the time

Mr. Avle, the statement of the former President was corroborated by officials of the Attorney General’s Department at a meeting with them in Accra after we went to the Ho high court to seek an injunction on the university that, indeed enough amount of money was placed in an escrow account solely for the payment of UHAS land compensation.

The question now is, how come that after signing our Offer for almost a year, payment from an escrow account is still an issue for the Finance Ministry.

Bernard, on behalf of my other frustrated UHAS landowners, I sincerely appreciate your station’s efforts in bringing our plight on your programs from the beginning and further appeal once again to your outfit to help us by means of your programs either on the Citi Breakfast Show, Eyewitness News or any other platform to help get what is due us from the state.

We are ever ready to speak on the matter publicly if we are offered an opportunity which we fervently hope for.

Finally, Bernard, I wish to illustrate our plight by the photograph above, where the lean, poor and hungry man is UHAS landowners, whiles the big/fat man being carried is the University community comprising of members of the Government (Politicians),Governing Council ,Vice-chancellor and Lecturers who get well paid, Contractors who execute lofty contracts, the soon to be built 300 PPP comfortable housing  scheme for lecturers among others while the owners of the land are left to wallow in abject poverty and frustration. As for the law, its rightful or wrongful application is in the hands of the rich who are made up of politicians.

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By: King Nobert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post UHAS land owner writes to Citi FM over unpaid compensation appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

However, I have tried to scan through the category of citizens who made such sacrifices, and then I realized that, most of them were ordinary citizens; the poor and the market men and women. Very few are politicians among those making those sacrifices; I only find them at the sweet end of the sacrifices, why.

I have followed and continue to follow closely the case of the bad treatment meted out to some of these poor citizens who owns the land University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho is built on. This development has challenged me to put out this short article which deals with compulsory acquisition of land by the state as provided for under Article 20 of the 1992 constitution followed by its subsequent abuse by politicians. Upon a careful thought, I came to the conclusion that, the framers of the constitution at the time foresaw that, the poor was going to be at the mercy of the politicians who will abuse same.

Why have I never heard of a politician’s land being compulsorily acquired by the state, but I only hear of outright purchases of same by the state. Are all citizens not equal in the eyes of the law? My doubts though. The 702 acres UHAS  land belongs to 78 poor individuals and families who do not belong to the political class who from 2011 to 2017 have been stripped off their properties by the state who should have rather protected its own and empower them.

Some of these people are senior citizens who today cannot use the proceeds of their youth to even eat but rather have to beg other people for land to even tilt to be able to feed. How can the state be so wicked to its own?

I have just remembered Ghana Gas led by Dr. George SipaYankey and Hon. Kofi Buah also  acquired  lands in the same year as UHAS, but today ,the situation is different, Ghana Gas land owners were paid in 2016. But did we also have had a deputy minister in charge of tertiary education? .Yes ,yet we were still afflicted by the curse or blessing for competing for being the last region in every developmental category including compensation payments for lands compulsorily acquired.

What else do they need to do after accepting and signing an offer from the lands commission since November and December2016? Even when the sector minister has given his approval, went through finance ministry to cabinet and got the necessary endorsement and back to the finance ministry for payment, payment is still in limbo. Do they need to bring Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed to do the begging to get what legally and logically belongs to them? Who takes responsibility for devaluation of the money signed for in the offer since 2016?

I am happy we have a president who has been a freedom fighter and the right to own property as one of the tenets of the Aborigines’ rights society of which he and all Ghanaian citizens prides ourselves with. Today, sadly the country Ghana has deliberately and compulsorily stripped 78 off its own citizens their properties.

I have every reason to the thank our  media men and women for bringing the plight of this people into the public space from the beginning, however unfortunately, the discussion does not last for even two minutes. The media has failed to sustain the discussion making it difficult for the message to get to the politicians whose lands are mostly not sold under Article 2o of the 1992 constitution.

It is sad to note that, a number of owners have died because they couldn’t pay for even their medical needs; some have developed hypertension due to the loss of their life savings taken away from them by the state. They can no more sell, lease or even farm on their own land. Interestingly some have to go for loans to pay for their children’s education in the same government university who have rendered them poor yet politicians till today get raised salaries, allowances, per diems, land cruiser vehicles, accommodation among others while these poor continues to wallow in abject poverty.

Now, has the court really helped? I beg to differ. Following the aggrieved land owners’ quest to compel the government to pay them their due, they filed an application to injunct the assets of the university since 2015, it is sad to note that, till today the court never granted that application. The court rather became the defendant in the case to the extent to granting long adjournments sometimes to more than three months. But is this development from the court surprising? NO. If today, certain highly placed legal luminaries are appointed as the university’s Governing Council Chair, the position of the court should be nothing surprising to any Ghanaian. The citizens who own the university’s land are considered nothing but second class citizens in the eyes of the court.

Seven years down the line of nonpayment of UHAS land compensation, how many tranches of ex -gratia have so far been paid? Of course the poor like the UHAS land owners would not receive ex-gratia but is the compensation of this land compulsorily acquired also not an ex-gratia to the owners? I would have wished to see government delay the payment of ex-gratia for seven years.

As I write my article of lamentation on UHAS land owners whose living condition government further has worsened, I pray that, the media will this time publish and sustain the discussion and push for the payment of this group of people.

Whiles I conclude, i9 wish to put forward some few questions for the good conscience of Ghanaians to judge;

1. Would the situation of nonpayment of this 702 acres of land compulsorily acquired 7 years ago be different if it were to belong to officers of the flagstaff house, members of cabinet, ministers parliamentarians and powerful superior court judges some of whom are Governing council chairs including that of UHAS?
2. The confirmation during a meeting between the Attorney General’s Department and UHAS land owners in Accra that money has been set aside in a special account by the previous NDC government   true?
3. Why the finance ministry is hesitant in releasing the money set aside for the payment of UHAS land compensation while government can pay GHC 1 billion for road contracts, training allowances, free SHS among others?

I am convinced that, His Excellency, the President will take notice of this issue and compel state actors to remove the shackles of poverty and restore the dignity of this people from the Volta region.

Indeed the diplomacy employed to get government honor its obligation seems to have failed again. What I foresee very soon is the ability of UHAS land owners to prove to government from the precinct of the finance ministry through to the seat of government in non violent but uncontrolled manner that they know their right and are citizens and not spectators.

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By: Kinsley Kudzo

The post UHAS compulsory land acquisition, a curse or blessing? [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The landowners claim that, the current administration has failed to pay them even though the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government did set aside money for the said payment.

[contextly_sidebar id=”1K99mivf70hED66BQY4aSVQbG1Xkzgr1″]According to the group, several talks with the government to have the money paid into their accounts have not yielded any positive results.

In a Citi News interview, the Consultant for the land owners, William Dafeamekpor, threatened to seek a court order to place an injunction on the university if the money is not paid in ten days.

“We are asking government to immediately pay or we will go back to court to secure an injunction on the university. In total, government is paying GH29.3 million for the whole 702 acres of land. The previous government set aside GHc29.3 million for the payment which was confirmed by the solicitor general at the Attorney General’s department in Accra, before NDC lost power. Why the delay now? That is all we are asking. So we are going to file a process to put an injunction on the university and no student will be allowed to school there until the money is paid to the last pesewa.”

We’ll block students’ access to school  

Government, through an Executive Instrument (EI), compulsorily acquired the lands for the first public university in the Volta Region, which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011.

Although construction of structures at the permanent site has been completed, the land owners are yet to be compensated. Following various failed attempts to get government to keep to its part of the agreement, the land owners resorted to a court action in 2016.

A Ho High Court, which heard the case, subsequently advised the Attorney General to consider meeting the land owners to find an amicable solution to the needless litigation.

But the Chairman of the Association, Benoni Glalah, earlier lamented that, the arbitration at the Attorney General’s Department has delayed unduly.

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post UHAS land owners to sue gov’t again over delayed compensation appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The University is also awaiting approval from the Board to start a Master of Philosophy programme in Applied Epidemiology, Professor John Gyapong, Vice Chancellor of UHAS, said at the fifth matriculation of the University in Ho on Saturday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”1wcXfRcBaxsGCJwfXSo4QC1QQk6SlAfq”]He said all the University’s programmes were competitive and well sought after and assured the students that they were at the right place.

Prof Gyapong said the University’s newly mounted programmes such as Doctor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science in Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Top-Up in the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences were all attracting high patronage.

He advised the students to make good use of facilities in the University and go by the tenets, rules and regulations contained the students’ handbook.

A total of 835 students were admitted and matriculated out of 5,355 applicants.

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Source: GNA

The post UHAS begins postgraduate programme in Public Health appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Professor Gyapong succeeds Professor Fred Newton Binka, the Vice Chancellor of the University whose term of office ended in July.

Professor Kofi Anyidoho, Chairman of the University Council, who inducted Professor Gyapong described him as “dynamic, a visionary and effective leader capable of consolidating gains made by the University in the last four years.”

Professor Gyapong, expressed appreciation to the University Council for giving him the job and commended Professor Binka for laying a solid foundation for the University.

In an induction speech titled, “My UHAS Agenda”, the New Vice Chancellor said a strategic planning process has begun to consolidate gains made by the University and to chart a distinctly impactful future.

“My vision as Vice Chancellor is to finalise and implement the strategic plan to transform UHAS into a pre-eminent research and practically oriented health educational institution and provide strategic direction and leadership to achieve the key performance indicators,” Prof. Gyapong said.

He said his main goal is to facilitate a vibrant intellectual climate that would stimulate innovative research and community engagement.

“One key thing I shall do will be to establish the proposed Health Research Institute in my first year in office to promote multidisciplinary research in infectious diseases, chronic diseases, maternal and child health, policy and implementation research,” Prof Gyapong said.

He said he would promote academic excellence using the highest international standards in teaching, learning and leadership development.

Prof Gyapong said there are also plans to initiate outstanding academic programmes in Pharmacy and Dentistry.

The new Vice Chancellor is a Professor in Epidemiology and was the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research Innovation and Development, University of Ghana.

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Source: GNA

The post UHAS gets new Vice Chancellor appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This, they say will compel government to pay them compensation for lands acquired for the establishment of the university.

[contextly_sidebar id=”YI88QlW68U0LrUUqpBB1T9WugAghK564″]Government, through an Executive Instrument (EI), compulsorily acquired the lands for the first public university in the Volta region, which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011. 

Although construction of structures at the permanent site has been completed they are yet to be compensated.

 Following various failed attempts to get government to keep to its part of the agreement, the land owners resorted to a court action early on this year. 

A Ho High Court judge subsequently advised the Attorney General to consider meeting the land owners to find an amicable solution to the needless litigation. 

But the chairman of the association, Benoni Glalah says the arbitration at the Attorney General’s Department has delayed unduly.

“We are not against the acquisition for public use, we are all Ghanaians, we like it, is good but the constitution says prompt and adequate compensation to be paid. They should pay it that’s all!” he stated.

They say what broke the camel’s back is a comment made by the Volta regional Minister Adjoa Ntosu on a local radio station (Kuul FM) claiming that the individual land owners do not have the requisite documents to receive their compensations. Her comment infuriated members of the association who have threatened to prevent workers and students from entering the campus. 

“We are thinking; we are adults and not idiots. We don’t have document as claimed by the regional minister so we have to be prove to her that we have our documents. If she is really a regional minister and she not talking out of ignorance and sheer incompetence, she should got to the regional land officer or the land board in Accra” Mr Glalah said

“The action is to seize the school or block the school for the students not to go there again or they give our land back to us that’s all!” another aggrieved land owner added.

Although they did not immediately state when such an action would be taken, members say they would take authorities by surprise.

Group to boycott elections

Wisdom Dafeamekpor, a consultant for the group who expressed worry over the delay of payment say, all requirements have been met but they are yet to receive any notification from government. 

He said the group apart from planning to barricade the entrances to the school has vowed to boycott the general elections.  He said he is now helpless because he has exhausted all available avenues.

“It would happen like 2000 when people boycotted the elections and we went to runoff and it caused the NDC. If they are not careful history would repeat itself.”

Meanwhile when Citi News contacted the regional Minister she denied the claims adding that she only recounted earlier challenges encountered in processing the documents at the land commission.

“Initially, these were the problems we were facing; documentation and they have been advised to do so. So the lands department is really working on them. Because the President indeed promised that he is really going to pay them. And you know our President is the President that when he said it would be done, it would surely be done. They should bear with us all these would be done. But because this is an election year pressure is mounting here and there,” she explained.

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By: King Nobert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ‘UHAS land owners’ yet to receive compensation from gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Ho University for Health and Allied Sciences would also be covered.

He said the facility would be used in expanding infrastructural projects in various campuses of the two universities.

President Mahama announced this when he interacted with students of the Sunyani University for Energy and Natural Resources (UENR).as part of his four-day campaign of the Brong-Ahafo Region.

The President during the four days visited constituencies and addressed rallies, inaugurated two new community day senior high schools at New Longoro in the Kintampo North District and Krobo in the Techiman North District.

He said just as funding had over the years been sought for all other public universities in the country, government would continue to seek funding for the new universities to blossom.

President Mahama said he would also work with the university authorities to establish a chair, as an advisory body to government to know their challenges.

The President said the Korean EXIM Bank facility would also be spent on the establishment of a new campus at Dormaa-Ahenkro also in the Region.

Professor Harrison Kwame-Dapaah, Vice Chancellor of the University commended government for the development projects on campus.

He said although the University is currently facing some challenges, it is suare to overcome them with time and perform according to its core mandate.

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Source: GNA

The post Mahama announces dev’t package for universities in Ho, Sunyani appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Professor of Epidemiology took over from the foundation Vice Chancellor, Professor Fred Binka, whose tenure ended in July 2016, after he successfully spearheaded the setting up of the health-focused university from 2012.

Before assuming this new position, Professor Gyapong was serving his second term as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development at the University of Ghana. He also worked in various capacities at the Ghana Health Service and was chairman of the Food and Drugs Authority Clinical Trials Technical Committee. 

In his induction speech, Professor Gyapong pledged to continue the good works of his predecessor.  He outlined his vision for the University, which includes facilitating a vibrant intellectual climate that stimulates innovative research and community engagement, promotion of multidisciplinary research in infectious diseases, chronic diseases, maternal and child health policy, among others.

Other areas the new Vice Chancellor seeks to promote are integrated ICT-based teaching and learning through the development of e-learning platforms, stakeholder confidence building; and completing the establishment   of the schools of Pharmacy and Dentistry.

He said “My vision is to finalize and implement the strategic plan to transform UHAS into a pre-eminent research and practically oriented educational institution and I intend to facilitate a vibrant intellectual climate that stimulates innovative research and community engagement.”

In his welcome address, Professor Kofi Anyidoho, Chairman of the UHAS Council, declared that the university has seen exponential growth in students’ population, from 154 in 2012 to almost 3000 presently, with the pioneering students graduating in July this year.

He commended the foundation Vice Chancellor and all stakeholders who supported in nurturing the university to its present stage and expressed the hope that the new Vice Chancellor will captain the institution to the next phase.

He further appealed to the central government as well as the municipal and district assemblies in the Volta region to make an allocation within their annual budget in support of the University, which currently has campuses in Ho, Hohoe and Keta.

On the part of Government, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Deputy Minister in charge of Tertiary Education, congratulated Professor Gyapong upon his appointment to the high office and assured him of government’s continuous support towards making UHAS a world class university.

The very colourful ceremony was attended by the former Vice chancellor of University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryetey, managements of other sister state universities, the Ghanaian business community,  as well as traditional leaders.

–

Source: UHAS

The post Prof. Gyapong inducted as new UHAS Vice Chancellor appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.