The University of Ghana has officially handed over a five-acre parcel of land to the Students’ Representative Council (UGSRC) and the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG-UG) for the construction of a joint student-led hostel project.
The ceremony, held on Thursday, 11th September 2025, brought together university management, student leaders, and other stakeholders, all reaffirming their commitment to tackling the institution’s long-standing accommodation deficit.
The Acting Director of the Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD), Peter Abalansah, disclosed that of the five acres, two acres had been allocated to the UGSRC (undergraduate students) and three acres to GRASAG-UG (graduate students). He emphasized, however, that the initiative remains a merger project, bringing the two student bodies together to deliver on a shared vision.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, commended the students for their initiative and pledged management’s full support. She expressed confidence that the project would progress swiftly, with the first phase expected to be commissioned within 18 to 24 months.
“You have the full support of management to continue with this project, and I believe that since you have come together, things are going to be very, very quickly expedited,” she said.
Prof. Amfo also highlighted other ongoing efforts to expand student housing, including the Diamond Jubilee Hostel, the GUSSS Student Hostel Project, the PhD Hostel, and the UGEL–Gold Key partnership, which is expected to deliver up to 20,000 new bed spaces, with nearly 5,000 to be completed in the first phase.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Gordon Awandare, described the initiative as a milestone in student-management collaboration. He revealed that the first phase alone would provide at least 1,000 beds.
“This is a hostel by the students, for the students, and managed by the students. It’s a powerful message that students are now willing to work with management to solve problems. This is a new era where students are showing greater commitment to supporting the university,” he said in an interview with Univers News.
Representing undergraduate students, the UGSRC Vice President, Jeffery Adu Yeboah, called for unity, resourcefulness, and commitment to ensure the success of the hostel project. He stressed that the initiative positions the University of Ghana as a model of student-led development across Africa.
On behalf of the SRC, he also appealed for a review of the university’s “in-out-out” accommodation policy, which permits only first-year students to stay in on-campus hostels. He argued that despite its introduction, the over 60% accommodation deficit on campus has remained unresolved.
“This policy can be re-looked at again, and management together with the SRC can go back to the drawing board after three years of implementation to design a more realistic and beneficial policy for the over 70,000 students,” he said.
The GRASAG-UG President, Bright Amansiah Twerefour, revealed that the joint initiative aims to provide about 10,000 bed spaces within the next 15 years. He stressed that affordability is a key focus of the project.
“This initiative is not only providing bed spaces for students but also ensuring that the spaces are very affordable. In the long run, this will have a ripple effect on existing hostels on campus, which currently keep increasing prices year by year due to monopoly,” he said.
The event was graced by several dignitaries, including the Dean of Student Affairs, Professor Rosina Kyeremanteng, hall tutors, the UGSRC President, Maradona Agyei Yeboah, and some of the newly elected student leaders, among others.
