Removing UESD campus from Afram plains to your hometown unfair – Mahama to Akufo-Addo

The Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress John Dramani Mahama has described as unfair the decision by the Akufo-Addo government to relocate the satellite campus of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) from Afram Plains to Akyem Abuakwa.

The UESD located in Somanya in the Eastern Region is the first University in West Africa established to focus on research in natural Environment and climate change as well as agro-business.

Sod-cutting for the construction of the University was done by Mr. Mahama in December 2016. The first phase of the project was complete and Commissioned by President Akufo-Addo on August 6, 2020, for enrollment of first batch of students to begin in 2020/2021 academic year.

The second campus of the University located was earmarked to be sited in Afram Plains. However, the satellite campus has been relocated to Bunso in Akyem Abuakwa Municipality.

Addressing supporters of the NDC in Somanya as part of his campaign tour in the Eastern Region, Mr.Mahama described the decision as unfair to the people of Afram Plains.

“Whenever NDC is in power, we make sure the people of Krobo get their share of development. So when the late President Atta Mills was governing this country which I was his vice, he planned to build a University in every region without a public University. At that time the Brong Ahafo didn’t have, so we built the University of Development and Natural Resources."

"Volta Region was also without University so we built the University of Health and Allied Sciences. Eastern region too didn’t have a University so we built the University of Environment and Sustainable Development. So before I left government, I secured funding for the project and came to cut-sod which by the grace of God the University has been completed”.

He added: “One thing which has gone wrong is that the University was supposed to have a second campus, and that second campus was supposed to be in Afram Plains but I have heard that the President has relocated the campus from Afram Plains to his hometown. But that is unfair. Because this President doesn’t know how to build a university but able to relocate campus to his hometown. Again, he is going round renaming existing Universities. You don’t know how to build institutions but you know how to rename them. You must also build some of these institutions,” Mahama said.

He assured that a future NDC government will establish Universities in all the six new regions created to make tertiary education accessible to the people.

Mr Mahama thanked the people of Somanya for keeping faith with the NDC promising that the party will continue to reciprocate with their share of Developmental project.