The Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF) has handed over a GH¢13.9 million campus to the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) at Kenyasi No.2 in the Asutifi North District of the Ahafo Region, marking the operationalisation of the region's first university campus.

The campus, fully funded and constructed by NADeF, comprises a four-storey, eight-unit lecture block, a library, a four-unit lecture pavilion and an eight-bedroom accommodation, which is expected to bring tertiary education closer to residents and expand access to mining and technology education.

NADeF also presented a Toyota pick-up to the management of the campus.

The foundation also provided 250 tables and chairs, 96 metal beds with mattresses, eight wooden beds with mattresses, and completed landscaping and other external works.

Financial clearance

At the inauguration last Friday, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, announced that the government would allocate GH¢50 million through Ghana Educational Trust Fund (GETFund) in 2027 to support the operationalisation of the Kenyasi campus.

He also disclosed that the government had granted financial clearance for the recruitment of 25 staff to enable UMaT to begin operations at the campus.

Mr Iddrisu reiterated the government's commitment to establish a fully fledged public university in the Ahafo Region before the end of President John Dramani Mahama's tenure.

He described the Kenyasi campus as a major step towards expanding access to higher education and assured the chiefs and people of Kenyasi that the government would support the smooth take-off of the institution.

Mr Iddrisu said the GETFund would consider the Twereku Ampem Senior High School at Ntotroso in the ongoing procurement and distribution of school buses. 

Newmont commitment

The General Manager of Newmont Ahafo South Mine, Alex Kofi Annin, said the campus reflected the company's commitment to invest in education, skills development and sustainable community development.

He said Newmont and NADeF had, over the past two decades, provided more than 15,000 scholarships to young people in host communities to pursue higher education and employable skills.

The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of NADeF, Professor Yaw Ofosu-Kusi, said the project was one of the foundation's flagship investments and a historic milestone for Kenyasi.

He explained that NADeF, established in 2008 as the community development arm of Newmont, funded the project through its development model, which is financed by $1 from every ounce of gold sold and one per cent of the company's annual pre-tax net profit.

The Vice-Chancellor of UMaT, Prof. Richard Kwasi Amankwah, said the university planned to establish community schools to provide basic mining education in mining communities.

He said the university would commit its resources to develop the Kenyasi campus into a centre of excellence for teaching, research and innovation to serve the region and the country.