The University of Ghana’s General Assembly has demanded answers from the Student Representative Council over the lack of a financial report on spending for the UGSRC Hostel project.
The uproar comes after members said repeated requests for an update have gone unanswered, despite a procedural motion at a previous sitting calling for accountability. Concerns are growing as the House discusses a possible merger between the University of Ghana SRC Development Fund (UGSRCDF) and the Graduate Student Development Fund (GRADEF).
Amid the growing concerns, Jean Nelson’s constituency representative, Prince Appiah Danquah, alleged that about 3 million cedis have already been spent on preliminary works alone.
“We’ve requested a report on the UGSRC Hostel. We started paying this levy three years ago, and we want to know what our money has been used for so far,” he said. “We’ve been told that we’ve spent about three million cedis out of the money accumulated — just for sod-cutting, plans drawn, and other things.”
The allegations remain unaddressed, as SRC President Maradonna Yeboah Adjei, despite joining the sitting virtually, made no statement to clarify or refute the claims.
The Assembly’s demands are based on provisions in Section 9(1) of the UGSRC Development Fund Act, which require the Fund’s Board to submit to the SRC General Assembly, through the Executive Council, a detailed report on its activities and operations no later than one month after the end of each financial year.
The Act also mandates an annual audit of the Fund in accordance with public sector financial management practices, with the audited report to be presented to the General Assembly by the last day of September or at its first sitting of the academic year.
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Story by Anita Azawodie|univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Michelle Lartey
