- President John Mahama revealed plans for a 10,000-bed hostel at the University of Ghana
- The hostel will be prefabricated, assembled on campus from components manufactured abroad
- The project addresses accommodation shortages and rising safety concerns for off-campus students
President John Mahama has announced plans to build a 10,000-bed student hostel at the University of Ghana, describing the initiative as a major step toward addressing accommodation challenges and enhancing student safety.
Speaking at the opening of the University of Ghana’s 77th Annual New Year School and Conference on Tuesday, January 6, President Mahama said the project stems from an agreement signed during his recent visit to Singapore and will be constructed using prefabricated building technology.
“When I visited Singapore, we signed an agreement for a 10,000-student hostel at the University of Ghana,” he explained. “It will be a prefabricated building, meaning the structure will be manufactured elsewhere and then assembled on campus.”
Preparations are already underway, he noted, with machinery for the factory that will produce the hostel components shipped from Singapore and currently en route to Accra.
President Mahama highlighted the growing public concern over student accommodation, citing a social media post by academic Professor Kweku Azar, who compared current student housing difficulties to the simpler system of previous years.
“He mentioned that in his time, you could go to the porter’s lodge, have your name checked, and receive your room key. Today, most students have to live off campus and commute daily to lectures,” the President said.
He emphasized that the accommodation shortage has evolved into a serious safety issue, pointing to incidents where students commuting from off-campus housing were struck by vehicles or attacked by armed robbers, sometimes fatally.
“It is preferable that our students live on or close to campus to avoid such risks,” he added.
The 77th Annual New Year School and Conference, themed “Building the Ghana We Want, Together for Sustainable Development,” gathers policymakers, academics, civil society actors, and students to discuss national development challenges and solutions.
President Mahama stressed that the hostel project aligns with broader efforts to improve education access and student welfare, noting that he shared the development with the Vice-Chancellor as part of the government’s commitment to supporting public universities.
Like many public universities in Ghana, the University of Ghana faces a shortage of on-campus accommodation, forcing most students to rent in nearby communities amid rising costs and safety concerns.
