President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday gave the assurance that the Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) would soon receive a seed capital to enable it operate at full capacity and also acquire basic logistics needed for the running of the institution.
“I am aware the matter of the seed capital has not been resolved. I am in active discussion with the Minister of Finance on the issue and was hoping that it would have been resolved by now but let me assure you that it will be done very soon; as well as the completion of the library complex which was started in 2011,” he said.
He stated this at the investiture of the first vice chancellor and registrar respectively of the SDD-UBIDS at Wa yesterday.
President Akufo-Addo promised that the capital would be made available to the institution very soon, and said the government was committed to quality tertiary education, hence the continuous initiation of policies to enhance the capacity of graduates for socio-economic development.
He challenged tertiary institutions in the country to research and disseminate knowledge that would lead to entrepreneurship, business creation and national development.
“It is my expectation that the university would disseminate knowledge related to development and business studies and also undertake research and foster relations with persons and entities outside the institution to produce graduates who are moulded to take on opportunities for higher achievement through creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation for wealth creation,” he stated.
Nana Akufo-Addo said as a government that was committed to the well-being of young people in the country, it allocated GHC10 billion in the 2022 budget to support young entrepreneurs create new businesses and expand old ones under a programme dubbed “YouStart” Initiative.
“Under this programme, young entrepreneurs will be supported to develop commercially viable businesses and create jobs; the programme will be used as a vehicle to support young entrepreneurs to gain access to capital, training, technical skills and mentoring,” he said.
He called on the SDD-UBIDS to critically assess the initiative through research in order to make proposals to enhance its implementation.
The Chairman of the University Council, Professor Kweku Yamoah Paintsil, led the investiture for Professor Philip Duke, the Vice Chancellor and Mr Job Asante, the Registrar.
Professor Duku in his acceptance speech, revealed that plans were underway to establish four more schools and faculties to add up to the existing seven and said the institution sought to increase the student population to 15,000 by 2024.
He outlined that the school would need a total of GHC100 million to meet its infrastructural deficit and called on government to assist the institution to enable it to compete favourably with other tertiary institutions across the country and beyond.
FROM LYDIA FORDJOUR AND RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK, WA
