KNUST to Establish Executive Campus at Moree, Cape Coast

Professor William O. Ellis, VC KNUST and Okatakyi
Dr. Amenfi VII, Omanhene of Abura Asebu Signed MoU

As part of the efforts of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to make higher education accessible to all and in line with the policy framework of the government of Ghana on tertiary education and innovations in educational technology worldwide, the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL) is to establish an executive campus at Moree near Cape Coast.

In this regard, KNUST and the Asebu/Nkusukum Traditional Councils have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and held a sod-cutting ceremony for the beginning of the project. The agreement stipulates that the traditional councils involved would grant the University a parcel of land situated near Moree and Akatakyiwa in the Central Region for the construction of a state-of-the-art executive campus and research centre.

The estimated cost of the building is twenty-seven million Ghana cedis and it will be completed in 12 months. The project is in two phases: the first phase will include the construction of executive lodges for chiefs of the communities, lecture theatres, conference rooms, a recreational area along the beach, twenty-five chalets, a restaurant/kitchen and a bar while during the second phase, more lecture halls would be built.

Professor William Otoo Ellis, the Vice-Chancellor, said there was the need to develop systems to create relatively stress-free learning opportunities. KNUST as an academic institution of high repute was showing the way with the establishment of executive learning centres designed to provide lifelong learning and research. He said the establishment of the new campus also presented the opportunity for new and innovative academic programmes with respect to capacity building in marine and coastal programmes.

Prof. Ellis stated that KNUST for the past five years had been working on bringing education to the doorsteps of people through partnerships with health training institutions, affiliations, mentorships and the presence of IDL centres in all the ten regions of Ghana.

Mr. Kwame Saarah-Mensah, Chairman of the University Council, said with the establishment of the executive campus, the Western and Central Regions would feel the presence of KNUST. Distance learning, he noted, was one of the sustainable ways of educational development and accessibility. He said it was the plan to reduce overpopulation on campus and to help provide education in comfort and convenience especially for mature students and workers who could not make it to the main campus.

Okatakyi Dr. Amenfi VII, Omanhene of Abura Asebu Traditional Area expressed his appreciation to the management of KNUST for investing in his area. He said that spreading tertiary education through the building of campuses was a specialised one and not common in Africa and therefore, his traditional area was lucky to be the recipient of one such campus. Okatakyi Dr. Amenfi VII appealed to the University to expedite action on the project, because the establishment of the campus would not only provide education but also give employment to his people.

Okatakyi Dr. Amenfi VII and Nana Kwesi Brebo III signed the MoU on behalf of the Asebu/Nkusukum Traditional Councils while Prof. William Otoo Ellis and Dr. Kwame Saarah-Mensah signed for the University.