Government Gives Vehicles To New Universities

The government has presented 12 vehicles to three new universities in the country to assist in their operational effectiveness.

The beneficiary universities are the SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) at Wa in the Upper West Region; CK Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS) at Navrongo in the Upper East Region; and the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) at Somanya.

Each of the schools received a Toyota Land Cruiser, two Toyota Land Cruiser Prados and a Toyota Hilux pickup.

Resourcing universities

Presenting the vehicles on behalf of the government, the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, explained that the Land Cruiser was for the Vice-Chancellor, the two Prados were to be used by the Registrar and the Director of Finance, while the pickup would be a utility vehicle.


He explained that the vehicles were provided in fulfilment of the government’s plan to resource the new universities to ease the challenges facing them in terms of mobility.

Dr. Prempeh explained that, “this follows assurances I gave at the inauguration of their governing councils and interim key officers, earlier this year, since the universities identified the means of transport as one of their immediate needs”.

In addition to the vehicles, each university received GH¢1.5 million to cater for basic logistics needs.

Source of funding

Dr. Prempeh explained that the initial funding was sourced from allocations made under the GETfund to provide for the most urgent logistics requirements, while the government made provision for adequate funding for their medium to long-term needs.

He emphasised that the government expected the universities to use the resources efficiently and most effectively.

“We expect you to be innovative yourselves and resourceful as the universities take off so that you can complement government’s efforts.

“Most of all, we want you to focus on ensuring a smooth takeoff and to keep the universities on a growth path consistent with the mandates given you,” the minister told the management of the three universities.

Gratitude

Speaking on behalf of the three universities, the Vice-Chancellor of the CK Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), Prof. Eric Wilmot, thanked the government for the gesture.

He assured the minister of a sound maintenance culture for the vehicles and further assured him that they would work with the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to ensure that in no time, their institutions would become pace setters “in the mandates that you have given us”.

“We will make government proud, we will make the ministry proud, we will make the NCTE and all those who worked and sacrificed one way or the other to set the path for us that we appreciate their efforts,” Prof Wilmot stated.