Agona Nyakrom — The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has inaugurated an ultra-modern training resort and conference centre for the College of Distance Education (CoDE) at Agona Nyakrom in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region.
Situated on a 50-acre land, the facility would serve as an avenue for the training of students and faculty, in addition to the running of short courses and other academic engagements.
The facility comprises 162 standard bedrooms, 16 executive bedrooms, 10 seminar rooms, and auxiliary facilities such as shops, indoor recreational spaces, a kitchen, and a multipurpose recreational court.
Constituting the first phase of an elaborate educational project, the facility is expected to witness an expansion in line with the university's commitment in establishing a satellite campus to run various degree and other programmes.
Inaugurating the facility, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, commended UCC for the vision in promoting education at the doorstep of individuals desirous of pursuing tertiary education programme.
He, however, underscored the need for the university and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to develop strategies to ensure that host communities benefitted from the presence of such educational facilities.
To that end, he called on UCC to extend its Neighbourhood Academic Initiative to communities that the university had a branch campus.
He further reiterated the commitment of the Ministry of Education in creating a comprehensive and a robust public education system from the basic to the tertiary level in the country.
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Additionally, Dr Adutwum explained that, the Ministry was facilitating the transformation of public schools to ensure the realisation of quality basic education, comparable to the best public schools in other countries.
For instance, he said, through the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcome Project (GALOP), the Ministry was assisting schools with learning grants with an intent of providing extra financing.
The Vice Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, in his remarks, expressed the commitment of management of the institution towards providing quality, equitable and inclusive university education in the country.
He stated that, the resort and conference centre, would open up the area with business opportunities as well as the promotion of tourism.
He further stated the commitment of management in completing other facilities to augment the training of the nation's youth for the transformation of the economy.
The Paramount Chief of Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area, Okofo Okatakyi Nyarko Eku X, who was the chairman for the event, urged management of UCC to consider the running of distance education programmes at the facility.
Using the facility as a conference and resort centre alone, he explained, would deny a number of people who want to access tertiary education through the distance mode.
He stated that: "I am aware that currently, the university runs distance education programme in Diploma in Education from a rented premises in Swedru and other places".
