Editorial

UDS launches GH¢100m Endowment Fund

The University for Development Studies, (UDS) has launched an endowment fund that seeks to raise GH¢100 million within five years to support brilliant but needy students and infrastructural development of the university.

Named the ‘University for Development Studies’ Endowment Fund’ (UDSEF), the fund was launched alongside the university’s 2022 congregation on Saturday April 30, 2022

The Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, Professor Wayo Seini launched the fund with the support of management and other stakeholders of the university.

Speaking after the launch, he noted that the fund which sought to raise GH¢100 million in the first five years, would be used to help indigent students to fund their education at the university.

He also said the UDSEF would aid in the infrastructural development of the institution, and appealed to corporate organisations to donate to support the fund so that their dreams for establishing it would come true.

A total number of 562 graduate and undergraduate students who completed various programmes of study from the School of Graduate Studies and the School of Nursing and Midwifery, the Faculty of Sustainable Development, and the Faculty of Education graduated.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Gabriel AyumTeye on his part, noted that each year, large number of qualified applicants apply for admission into the university, but they were unable to admit majority of them due to insufficient academic facilities.

He also added that many of the students enrolled at university were unable to pay their fees, compelling them to either defer their studies or dropout completely.

Prof. AyumTeye added that majority of both the fresh applicants and continuing students apply to the management of the university for financial support which they failed to support because facilities such as the UDSEF was currently unavailable.

He hoped that the GH₵100 million fund when successfully established, would be used to support qualifying students and priority projects to make university education accessible to all persons irrespective of their financial backgrounds.

He also appealed to the business community, government, traditional leaders, and private citizens to consider ways that they can contribute to the fund and impact the lives of thousands of students every year.

A seven member board of trustees was sworn into office by the Chairman of the Board trustees Professor Wayo Seini to help raise the needed money and also manage the fund

They included former Managing Director of Merchant Bank Ghana Limited Mr Peter Eliasu, a development expert and a former Chief Executive Officer of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Mr Charles Abugre and a Senior lecturer in the Department of Forestry and Forest Resources Management at the UDS, Dr Rakiatu Husseini

The rest of the board were Mr Aaron Opoku-Ahene, a Strategic Information Systems Developer who is also the Chief Operating Officer at Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans ltd; Mr Awudu Issa Mahmudu (Esq) a legal practitioner with many years’ experience; Dr Fatimata Iddrisu Abu a lecturer, at the Tamale Technical University and Dr Chrysogonus Anab, a lecturer at the Department of Sustainable Development Studies, Faculty of Sustainable Development Studies, UDS.

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