By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), April 09, GNA – New faculties and schools in the sciences and hospitality in the SDD University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) are in the offing as part of efforts to expand its services to the people in the region and beyond.
The new faculties and schools included the School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Processing, Faculty of Extraction Sciences, School of Tourism and Hospitality and School of Property Sciences among others.
Professor Emmanuel K. Derbile, the Vice Chancellor of the SDD-UBIDS, announced this in Wa during an engagement with the Upper West Regional Parliamentary Caucus.
He indicated that the university would need the support of all stakeholders including the parliamentary caucus to achieve that feat.
The Caucus visited the school to interact with the management to ascertain the prospects and challenges of the university and how it could support in mitigating those challenges to materialise the prospects and opportunities.
Prof. Derbile explained that the SDD-UBIDS had been engaging the management of the Upper West Regional Hospital towards the establishment of the medical school.
President John Dramani Mahama, in a meeting with the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs during a campaign tour to the region, promised to support the establishment of a medical school at the SDD-UBIDS.
Despite its potential to drive the region and national development, the university was fraud with many challenges including infrastructural deficit and lack of seed fund.
Addressing the Caucus, Prof. Derbile indicated that the university currently needed about GH¢178 million to complete stalled infrastructure projects in the school including GETFund funded projects, some of which were over 15 years old.
“I must say that we have since submitted a request after a meeting with the Minister for Education for his consideration of these uncompleted projects,” he explained.
Prof. Derbile indicated that the SDD-UBIDS Council had also approved the “Accelerated GETFund Infrastructure Completion Initiative” to mobilise funds towards completing some priority projects in that school.
Other challenges the VC mentioned were payment of compensations to landowners to secure the university’s land and completion of the SDD-UBIDS’ AstroTurf which was initiated by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban S. K. Bagbin.
Prof. Derbile also announced the establishment of the Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship for Brilliant Needy Students to ensure access to education for the underprivileged children in society.
He acknowledged the power of the Parliamentary Caucus to mobilise resources as well as lobby the appropriate stakeholders and institutions to support the SDD-UBIDS navigate its challenges and live its dreams.
The Caucus led by Dr. Sebastian Sandaare, the MP for the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa Constituency, assured the SDD-UBIDS management of its support to help meet the university’s priority needs to facilitate its growth.
The SDD-UBIDS was established in 2019 by Act 1001 with the mandate of becoming an internationally acclaimed applied research and practically oriented educational institution.
It currently has nine faculties and schools, 424 staff and 6,821 student population including 1,188 postgraduate students offering Master of Arts, Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy programmes.
GNA
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