GCTU appeals for GH¢50M from government to develop institution

The management of the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) is appealing to government to provide the institution with an amount of GH¢50 million to aid in developing the institution.

According to the Vice Chancellor of GCTU, Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, the money will serve as seed money which will be used in the building of high rise structures for lecture halls, hostels among others.

Speaking at his investiture ceremony as the first VC for GCTU, Prof. Ohene Afoakwa noted that the institution is undergoing rebranding.

“We are going to build a new eight-storey structure starting next year. The structure is already developed, and we are going to begin to build using IGF. We will look for our own money to put up the structure. But once we look for our own money to help ourselves, we also appeal to government to provide additional support for us. We appeal to the Minister of Education, through the Director-General of GTEC to give us at least GH¢50 million as seed money so that we help ourselves with the construction of this PPP agreement and others under IGF. Government will also provide support for the construction of some additional college structures that will make this place a fully-fledged university. Now that we are an ICT university which is a specialist university, we plead with government to give us the necessary support so that the institution can be a world-class ICT university for the nation”.

Chairman of the council of the institution, Prof. Kofi Awusabo-Asare urged Prof. Ohene Afoakwa to work assiduously in making the university better than before.

“By accepting the paraphernalia, he now accepts the call to service and becomes the public face of this institution. It also gives him the opportunity to share his vision and make this university better than he met it”.

On his part, the guest speaker for the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer for the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Dr. Kofi Koduah Sarpong indicated that the Vice Chancellor must adopt several measures in achieving the vision for the institution.

“The new programmes that you have developed certainly respond to our contemporary needs, the vision you have set, professor Vice Chancellor, is a good one. I advise you to be focused, do not relent on your efforts”.

Director General for the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Prof. Mohammed Salifu pledged the support of the commission to make GCTU a fully-fledged public university.

“We are yet to bring the transition to a logical conclusion. We have a council but from GTEC perspective, the role that we have played all this while through the development of the law setting up the university after this point in time has to be carried through to the logical conclusion. So we will work closely with the new Vice Chancellor and the council to make sure that the appropriate structures are set in for the university to become the bonafide and fully-fledged public university that it is. So there are two more stops to be taken to complete the transition”.