The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has launched a campaign to raise a GH¢200million fund to expand and upgrade on-campus accommodation for more student intake.
The fund is targeted at the construction of a 200-bed capacity hall of residence for the students.
Dubbed: “The KNUST Day of Giving (KDG)”, the management has set aside every October 6, which marks the day the University was established, as the day to solicit for funds for the envisioned project to resolve perennial accommodation challenges.
Launching the campaign at a media engagement in Kumasi on Friday, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, said “We wholeheartedly believe that such an undertaking will significantly improve the residential needs of students and reduce the accommodation deficit of our students.
She announced that the university was prepared to partner with private investors to make available free lands for the project as it explores the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) models for both student and staff.”
She noted that, to expedite the initiative, the management of the University had extended its appeal to the business community, and investors to partner them towards the noble cause.
“KNUST is prepared to offer suitable land as part of its dedicated contribution, fostering a mutually beneficial partnership that will positively impact the lives of countless students,” she added.
Regarding enrollment, she indicated that 26,733 students were offered admission for 2022/2023, indicating it was the University that offered higher admission in the country.
The Vice Chancellor said that 48 per cent of the admission was female and that 58.1 per cent of students were offered Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (STEM) to help push the country’s agenda.
“The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology will continue to lead the technological advancements of our dear nation…we will continue to increase our student-centered interventions through enhanced teaching and learning experiences…we shall ensure that graduates we churn out have the capacity to lead the development and agenda of the country,” she intoned.