By Philip Tengzu
Bamahu, (UW/R), Aug. 30, GNA – Mr Alban S. K. Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has cut the sod for construction works on the first phase of a sports stadium at the SDD University of Business and Intergraded Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS).
The project would be executed by Wembley Sports Construction Company Limited to be funded by the Speaker of Parliament.
The facility would be constructed in three phases: Phase One would comprise a 110m×75m artificial pitch, flood light and balustrade fencing.
Phase Two would encompass eight running tracks, public washrooms and changing rooms while Phase Three would be made of spectator stands, VIP stands and a multi-purpose court.
Speaking at a brief ceremony at the SDD-UBIDS campus at Bamahu, a suburb of Wa, to break ground for the start of the project, Mr Bagbin expressed commitment to supporting the school till eternity.
He indicated that he occupied an influential position in the country, which he would maximise to mobilise resources for the development of the people of the Upper West Region and Ghana as a whole.
“I am not a rich person, I don’t have money at all, but the positions we occupy are positions that you can network to get resources…” he said.
That position is to be used to mobilise resources to develop the people you represent, not yourself. The position is not for you, it is for the people.”
Professor Emmanuel K. Derbile, the Vice Chancellor, SDD-UBIDS, expressed gratitude to Mr Bagbin for giving a facelift to the university with the construction of the sports facility, which he said had put smiles on the faces of both the students and staff.
He described the sod-cutting exercise as a historic day in the life of the University and said the facility would address the strategic and practical needs of the school.
“We hope that this facility will enhance our capacity to train our students in various sporting activities and to prepare them well to participate in inter-university games”, Prof. Derbile said.
It fits into the University’s agenda of introducing Physical Education in the School of Education and Life-Long Learning.
He assured the Speaker of Parliament and his partners of properly managing the facility when completed for use by the larger populace within the Wa Municipality, the Upper West Region and beyond.
“In the context of university relations, the university must be relevant in enhancing the lives of the people around its catchment area, the country and beyond,” Prof Derbile said.
He thanked the speaker for his long-standing commitment and support to the university and prayed for God’s strength to continue to provide his “kind of leadership” to the country, Africa and the world.
Mr Robert Tettey Coleman, the Chief Executive Officer of Wembley Sports Construction Company Ltd., proposed to train a local management team to maintain the facility when it was completed.
He said his company was noted for delivering quality Astroturf of FIFA standards and assured the Speaker and the University Management of delivering quality work that could stand the test of time.
GNA