The University of Ghana (UG) has signed an agreement with the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) to deliver a new 10,000-bed student hostel.
The public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement is aimed at easing accommodation challenges in the university.
The facility will comprise 2,720 rooms, made up of 2,420 four-in-one rooms, 150 two-in-one rooms and 150 single-occupancy rooms.
The first phase of the project, which is being constructed by Premier Prime Haven Limited, is expected to be completed within 12 months, with the entire project scheduled for completion in three years.
The contractor is also to oversee the completion of a building to accommodate the university’s College of Humanities.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed among the three parties last Monday.
The role of GIIF would be to mobilise, manage, coordinate and provide financial resources for investment in the project, while Premier Prime Haven Limited is mandated as the contracting company to execute the project.
Expected impact
The Vice-Chancellor (VC) of UG, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said the project marked one of the most significant infrastructural expansions in the institution’s recent history.
She described it as a transformative project for student welfare and academic excellence.
Prof. Amfo stressed that accommodation shortages placed enormous pressure on students and families each academic year; hence, the project was welcomed and timely for the institution.
“Expanding residential capacity cannot be considered a luxury.
This project will ease accommodation pressures and enhance the overall student experience in the institution. It is essential to our students’ well-being, their academic engagement and their campus life,” she said.
She also added that the completion of the College of Humanities building, which had remained unfinished for years, was a welcome aspect of the project.
“The college houses about 60 per cent of the student population and, therefore, deserves this deliberate prioritisation. Completing that facility is not only about the space, it’s also about the people,” she said.
Prof. Amfo expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama for his personal interest in the project.
She also acknowledged the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Attorney-General and members of the University Council for granting the necessary approvals for the commencement of the initiative.
Mandate
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GIIF, Nana Dwemoh Benneh, emphasised that GIIF embraced the project as part of its mandate to back commercially viable and socially impactful investments.
He assured the financiers that GIIF had worked to de-risk projects and had explored infrastructure credit guarantee schemes to encourage participation.
The CEO also cited the fund’s involvement in major infrastructure initiatives, including the Accra International Airport Terminal 3, adding that the UG project would stand as a model for other investors.
Partnership
For his part, the CEO of Prime Premiere Group, Razak Awudulai, called for more of such partnerships between public and private organisations.
He said that private sector actors bore responsibility for contributing to national development, particularly when inadequate student accommodation threatened academic stability.
“If there’s no safe place for our students to study, it is not just the responsibility of the government; it’s also the responsibility of the private sector people,” Mr Awudulai said.