By Benjamin Adamafio Commey
Accra, July 28, GNA – The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth Wing has donated relief items to more than 300 Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) students affected by the June 29 floods.
The floods destroyed personal belongings, including laptops, mobile phones, clothing and food supplies, disrupting the students’ academic work and leaving many in need of assistance.
Mr Godwin Ako Gunn, Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC, presented the items on behalf of Mr George Opare Addo, National Youth Organiser of the NDC and Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, to the management of the university.
The donation, comprising boxes of instant noodles, non-alcoholic beverages, bottled water, Milo, biscuits, milk, Kivo gari, sardines and cooking oil, followed an appeal by the university after the floods severely affected students already living on limited budgets.
Mr Gunn said the Minister responded promptly by mobilising agencies under the Youth Ministry to provide immediate relief.
“Most of the thanks go to Pablo (Mr George Opare Addo) and the agencies under the Youth Ministry for putting these items together to support our young people,” he said.
Professor Ebenezer Malcolm, Acting Vice-Chancellor of GCTU, expressed appreciation to Mr Addo, the Minister, and the NDC Youth Wing for the support.
He said although the donation would ease the hardship facing affected students, additional assistance was required to help them recover fully.
“We want to appeal to the general public and corporate organisations to come to the aid of our students because they have been badly affected. Whatever support is provided will help them reorganise themselves and continue with their academic programme,” he said.
Prof Malcolm said the university converted some classrooms into temporary accommodation for displaced students following the floods and provided them with food and other basic necessities while seeking external support.
He said the university had also received relief items from a delegation sent by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party’s 2024 presidential candidate, and commended individuals and organisations that had responded to the university’s appeal.
Prof Malcolm said many students remained in distress after losing essential learning tools, including laptops and smartphones, with losses estimated at thousands of Ghana cedis.
He appealed to telecommunications companies, technology firms and other benevolent organisations to donate electronic devices to enable affected students to continue their studies, noting that many academic activities were conducted online.
Mr Nathaniel Safo, President of the Students’ Representative Council, thanked the Youth Ministry and the NDC Youth Wing for the support and appealed to government institutions, corporate bodies and the public to provide further assistance.
He said the floods continued to affect students’ learning because many had lost electronic devices required for online academic work.
Mr Safo said despite interventions by the university’s management, replacing laptops and other electronic gadgets remained the greatest challenge.
Mr Peter Ofori Yeboah, President of the NDC’s Tertiary Educational Institutions Network (TEIN) at GCTU, assured students that arrangements would be communicated for the distribution of the donated items to all affected beneficiaries.
The June 29 floods affected thousands of residents across Accra and surrounding communities, causing extensive damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure, displacing households and leaving many people in need of emergency assistance.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Benjamin Adamafio Commey