University of Ghana

University of Ghana

Arms of the University of Ghana
Motto	Integri Procedamus[1]
Type	Public
Established	1948
Chairman	Justice Date-Baah
Chancellor	Kofi Annan[2]
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu
Students	38,000
Location	Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana 05°39′03″N 00°11′13″W / 5.65083°N 0.18694°W
Campus	Suburban area
Colours	Midnight Blue, Lemon Yellow and Vegas Gold
Nickname	Legon
Affiliations	See below
Website	www.ug.edu.gh

The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It was founded in 1948^[3] as the University College of the Gold Coast, and was originally an affiliate college of the University of London,^[4] which supervised its academic programmes and awarded degrees. It gained full university status in 1961,^[4] and now has nearly 40,000 students.

The original emphasis was on the liberal arts, social sciences, basic science, agriculture, and medicine, but (partly as the result of a national educational reform programme) the curriculum was expanded to provide more technology-based and vocational courses and postgraduate training.

The university is mainly based at Legon, about twelve kilometres northeast of the centre of Accra. The medical school is in Korle Bu, with a teaching hospital and secondary campus in the city of Accra. It also has a graduate school of nuclear and allied sciences at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, making it one of the few universities on the Africa continent offering programmes in nuclear physics and nuclear engineering.

History

The formation of the West African Commission of the Asquith commission on higher education^[5] under the chairmanship of Rt. Hon. Walter Elliot was the birth of this notable institution in 1948. The commission recommended the setting up of University Colleges in association with the University of London thus the University college of Gold Coast was founded by Ordinance on August 11, 1948 for the purpose of providing for and promoting University education, learning and research. This was made possible by the rejection of the first recommendation which stated that only one University college was feasible for the whole of British West Africa which would be located in Nigeria by the people of Gold Coast led by the scholar and politician, the late Dr. J. B. Danquah.

The Balme Library

Main entrance to the Balme Library

The library is located on the main campus of the University.

College of Health Sciences

There are four faculties, one school and one research institute under this college.^[6]

• Medical School
• Dental School
• School of Allied Health Sciences
• School of Nursing Located on the Legon campus though its students receive practical training at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
• School of Pharmacy

Collegiate system

Starting from the 2014/2015 Academic year, the University of Ghana adopted the collegiate system and thus categorised all schools and departments under four(4) colleges which are:

• College of Basic and Applied Sciences
• College of Humanities
• College of Education
• College of Health Sciences

^[7]

Other faculties

There are six faculties outside the above colleges.

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Social Studies

Department of Economics of University of Ghana

• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Law The Faculty of Law was first established as a department of the Faculty of Social Studies in the 1958/59 academic year and became a full-fledged faculty in the 1960/61 academic year. From the 2012/2013 academic year, the university will admit fresh SHS students into the LLB first-degree programme but will retain the post-first degree programme. Thus the university will have two entry means to the Faculty of Law.
• Faculty of Engineering Sciences

Research and learning Centres

• Centre of Excellence for Global Environmental Change Research.
• Centre for Social Policy Analysis
• Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System
• Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy
• Centre for Migration
• International Centre for African Music and Dance
• Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Centre for Biotechnology Research
• Centre for African Wetlands
• Language Centre
• West African Centre for Crop Improvement
• The United Nations University for Natural Resources in Africa
• Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy(CEGENSA)
• Regional Training Centre for Archivists
• Ecological laboratory
• Legon Botanical Gardens
• The Ghana Herbarium
• Centre for African Foods
• Centre for West African foods
• Centre for International foods
• Centre for Ghana foods
• African Regional centre for training in postgraduate insect science

In the arts

The university has appeared in several films and television advertisements. The television series Sun City has a lot of scenes of the university. The name of the university has also been referenced in the lyrics of artists in Ghana, including Sarkodie's "Legon Girls", Buk Bak's "Klu blofo", Kwadei's "Wutatami" and Okordii's "Four years in Legon".^[8][9]

Workers' colleges

The university has these facilities in the various regions where it runs a variety of programmes, including degree courses.^[10] Awudome College has residential facilities that enable short courses over weekends and other durations to be run there.

• Accra Workers’ College, (now Accra City campus) Accra
• Awudome Residential Workers’ College, Tsito
• Bolgatanga Workers’ College, Bolgatanga
• Cape Coast Workers’ College, Cape Coast
• Ho Workers’ College, Ho
• Koforidua Workers’ College, Koforidua
• Kumasi Workers’ College, Kumasi
• Takoradi Workers’ College, Sekondi-Takoradi
• Tamale Workers’ College, Tamale
• Tema Workers’ College, Tema
• Sunyani Workers’ College, Sunyani
• Wa Workers’ College, Wa

Halls of residence

• Commonwealth Hall
• Legon Hall
• Mensah Sarbah Hall
• Volta Hall
• Akuafo Hall
• (Jubilee Hall

The university has eight residence halls of which were commissioned in 2011. They are:

• Alexander Kwapong Hall, one of the newly created halls named after Professor Alexander Kwapong a former Pro Vice Chancellor and Chairman of Council of State.^[11]
• Jean Nelson Hall, another of the newly created halls, it was named after the first Ghanaian Vice-Chancellor, Jean Nelson Aka. It was inaugurated in July. Its emblem shows a candle, a book and a pen to symbolize perseverance. It was designed by a final year Physics-Computer Science major student, Raymond Sung-Seh Harrison. The motto of the hall, "Lux In Tenebris" which is Latin for "Light In Darkness" was suggested by Raymond's mate at the time, a lady by the name Muna Twerefour". The emblem was officially adopted on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.
• Hilla Limann Hall, the first of the University of Ghana Enterprise Limited (UGEL) Hostels to be completed. It was inaugurated in July 2010^[12] during which the Vice-Chancellor announced the decision to name it after Hilla Limann, a former President of the Republic of Ghana. Senior Members of the University may be assigned as Fellows of the Hall by the Vice Chancellor, Students assigned/affiliated to the Hall form the Junior members. The Head of Hall, Senior Tutor and fellow tutors as a body helps with the governing of the Hall.
• Elizabeth Sey Hall, the second of the newer halls built by University of Ghana Enterprise Limited (UGEL) Hostels to be completed. It was inaugurated in July 2010 it was named after the first female graduate of the university Elizabeth Say.
• Africa Union Hall, formerly called Pentagon built by SSNIT
• James Topp Nelson Yankah Hall, formerly known as TF Hostel.^[13]
• Bani Hall, initially a private hostel which was later turned into a hall after the tenancy agreement with the University had elapsed.
• Evandy Hall, formerly Evandy Hostel and this was turned into a hall after the tenancy agreement with the University elapsed and ownership transferred to University authorities,
• Commonwealth Hall, it is the only male hall in the University.

Hostels

There are three university hostels, the International Students' Hostels (I and II) and the Valco Trust Hostel. There are also private hostels, SSNIT Hostels (Ghana Hostels also known as Pentagon)^[14]

Bank, postal and other services

Ghana Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Barclays Bank,Cal Bank, HFC Bank and Ecobank Ghana have branches on the Legon campus. There is a branch of the national postal service (Ghana Post) on campus. Other banks have ATMs on campus.

Roads usage and user charges

From 1 February 2014, all vehicles entering the University of Ghana's main campus, and also those using the road passing through the Staff Village of the University were required to pay charges. This was heavily criticized by public and students and has been suspended.

Notable alumni

• Anas Aremeyaw Anas - Investigative Journalist with Insight TWI: The World Investigates, CEO of Tiger Eye Private Investigations, Executive Director of The Crusading Guide
• Patrick Kwateng Acheampong – Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service (2005–09)
• George Kingsley Acquah – Chief Justice of Ghana (2003–07).
• Peter Ala Adjetey – former speaker of the Parliament of Ghana (2001–05).
• Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, – Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana
• Mabel Agyemang née Banful (also Yamoa) - Appeal Court judge for the Commonwealth Secretariat, served in the judiciaries of the governments of Ghana, The Gambia and Swaziland.
• Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo – former Foreign minister and former Attorney-General of Ghana.
• K. Y. Amoako – former UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa.
• Reverend Sam Korankye Ankrah – Apostle General of the Royalhouse Chapel International
• John Atta Mills – former Law professor and Vice-President of Ghana (1997–2001), President of Ghana (2009-12).
• George Ayittey - economist, author, and president of the Free Africa Foundation, professor at American University, associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
• Kwesi Botchwey – former law lecturer and finance minister of Ghana (1982–1995).
• Mohamed Ibn Chambas – Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States.
• Kwesi Dickson – former President of Methodist Church Ghana.
• Kwabena Dufuor – Finance Minister and former Governor of the Bank of Ghana.
• Komla Dumor - television news presenter for the BBC World, presenting BBC World News and Africa Business Report. 2003 winner of Journalist of the Year award given by the Ghana Journalist Association.
• Charles Odamtten Easmon - first Ghanaian surgeon and first Dean of University of Ghana Medical School.
• Nana Effah-Apenteng was the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations between May 2000 and 2007.
• Akin Euba - Nigerian composer, musicologist and pianist, Andrew Mellon Professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh.
• Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng – cardiothoracic surgeon and Chief Executive of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, first black African to perform heart transplant and established the National Cardiothoracic Centre.
• Ken Kanda - a diplomat, he is the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations.
• Akua Kuenyehia – Vice-President, International Criminal Court (2003-Date)
• John Dramani Mahama – Vice-President of Ghana (2009–12) and President of Ghana (2012 to present)
• Vicki Miles-LaGrange (born 1953) - Chief U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma, first African-American woman to be U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, and the first African-American female elected to the Oklahoma Senate.
• Tawiah Modibo Ocran – Judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana (2004–08).
• David Ofori-Adjei - elected to the Council of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology of the International Union of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology in 2000.
• Aaron Mike Oquaye – former Minister of Communication (2005–09) and Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya (2005 to present).
• Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes - Speaker of Parliament of Ghana (7 January 2005 – 6 January 2009).
• Tsatsu Tsikata – former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and Law lecturer at the University of Ghana.
• Godwin Kemetse – President & Co-founder of the Scholars With A Strategy also known as Team SWAS in the university circles.
• Georgina Theodora Wood – first female Chief Justice of Ghana (since 2007).^[15]
• Kofi Awoonor - Ghanaian poet and author whose work combined the poetic traditions of his native Ewe people and contemporary and religious symbolism to depict Africa during decolonization
• Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur – Vice President of the Republic of Ghana since 2012
• Nana K. Owusu-Nkwantabisa (1990). Professor and Director of Library Services, Keller Graduate School of Management & DeVry University.

References

1. "Visitors>Overview". Retrieved 7 July 2014.
2. "Kofi Annan appointed Chancellor of University of Ghana". General News of Wednesday, 30 July 2008 (Ghana Home Page). Retrieved 30 July 2008.
3. Kwabena Dei Ofori-Attah. "Expansion of Higher Education in Ghana: Moving Beyond Tradition". Comparative & International Education Newsletter: Number 142. CIES, Florida International University. Retrieved 9 March 2007.
4. G. F. Daniel (17 April 1998). "THE UNIVERSITIES IN GHANA". Development of University Education in Ghana. University of Ghana. Retrieved 10 March 2007.
5. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5147
6. "Official Site of the College of Health Sciences". University of Ghana. Archived from the original on 8 December 2006. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
7. http://www.ug.edu.gh/news/university-ghana-adopts-collegiate-system-20142015-academic-year
8. "University of Ghana". General-books.net. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
9. "University of Ghana, legon". General-books.net. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
10. "About Us: Profile of the University". University of Ghana. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2007.
11. "Legon Damns Coup Makers". Chronicle.
12. University of Ghana, Upcoming Events. "Inauguration Ceremony: Students Residential Facilities". University of Ghana. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
13. vibeghana.com/2013/.../teachers-fund-hostel-outdoored-with-new-name
14. "Halls of Residence/Hostels". University of Ghana.
15. "Notable Alumni". University of Ghana Alumni Association. Retrieved 2015-01-22.

External links

• University of Ghana
• Photos of the University
• University of Ghana Alumni

Coordinates: 05°39′03″N 00°11′13″W / 5.65083°N 0.18694°W