“I am committed to improving access to tertiary education,” Akufo-Addo assures youth
The president repeats his promise: a second-term NPP government will ensure that no one who has won a place at a tertiary institution will be denied entry for lack of fees
President Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians that he is committed to fulfilling the New Patriotic Party’s 2020 manifesto promise to improve young people’s access to tertiary education after they finish senior high school.
Addressing guests at the commissioning ceremony for the new AstroTurf pitch on the campus of the University of Professional Studies in Accra (UPSA), the president said that if Ghanaians give him and his government a second term in office in the 7 December 2020 general election, the days of young people not being able to pursue higher education will become a thing of the past.
“Just as we have made senior high school education accessible to all Ghanaian children, another term for the NPP and myself in office will mean that no student who has obtained admission into a tertiary institution will be denied access because they are unable to pay fees,” Akufo-Addo said.
The president reiterated his government’s promise, outlined in the NPP 2020 election manifesto, to assist students to obtain loans with a flexible repayment model and without the need for a guarantor.
“This promise, like Free SHS, is one we will fulfil, like we have fulfilled the great majority of our 2016 manifesto promises,” the president said.
Ambitious vision
In his speech, the re-elected vice-chancellor of UPSA, Professor Abednego Amartey, said that the university, anticipating an increased intake of soon-to-graduate senior high school students, is embarking on an ambitious scheme of infrastructure development which will position UPSA to admit more students.
“Towards the admission and accommodation of more students under the government’s flagship programme for expanded intake of senior high school students into tertiary institutions, UPSA is expanding its infrastructure,” Professor Amartey said.
“The university is currently constructing a multipurpose, twin-tower building at the main entrance area of the school. The project has two ten-storey buildings.”
Full set of facilities
The new, 500-seat-capacity fenced stadium, which was commissioned by the president, comprises an artificial football pitch, spectator stands (including a VIP seating area), changing rooms, washroom facilities, storage space and offices for the sports directorate, floodlighting and fencing for the field.
The GHC3.888 million cost of the project came from the university’s internally generated funds. Building work was done by Wembley Sports Construction Company Ltd.
More sports infrastructure
President Akufo-Addo told guests at the launch ceremony that he is hopeful the stadium will harness the sporting potential of UPSA students and the community at large, which will have also access to the facility.
In the second-term government he hopes to form, should Ghanaians retain him in office, he will continue to develop sports infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country, he said.
Click on the link to listen to President Akufo-Addo’s speech.
Wilberforce Asare / Asaase Radio
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