Student entrepreneur and founder of The Nail Refinery, Prisca Brown, has called on the University of Ghana management to review the existing policy that bars student entrepreneurs from engaging in economic activities within the various halls of residence.
Speaking on the Talking Business Show on Radio Univers, Brown argued that the policy undermines other initiatives introduced by management to promote entrepreneurship on campus.
She explained that although students are often encouraged to start businesses while in school, many are later discouraged or forced to abandon their ventures because of restrictions preventing them from operating within the halls.
“From my experience at the University of Ghana, I used to be at Jubilee Hall, but I later moved to a different hostel where things were a bit more flexible. The University organizes mentorship seminars for entrepreneurs and all that, but when you start a business in a hall, they ban you from it. Economic activities are not allowed,” she said.
Brown therefore appealed to management to make the policy more flexible and supportive of startups.
“I think they can make it more flexible — allow economic activities to an extent. If what someone is doing harms or disturbs others, that’s when action should be taken,” she suggested.
Her call comes at a time when students in both traditional and UGEL halls are prohibited from engaging in any form of commercial activity within or around the halls.
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Story by Kwadwo Owusu Anane | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Gabriel Tecco Mensah
