KNUST Obuasi Campus Organises Maiden Matriculation Ceremony

The Obuasi campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has organised its maiden matriculation ceremony for the 343 newly admitted students, of which 238 are males and 105 females for the 2019/20 academic year. The short ceremony which took place at the Obuasi Sports Club.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Prof. Obiri Danso, thanked the president of Ghana for giving them the green light for the establishment of the campus.

“I wish to extend my deepest appreciation to His Excellency the President for believing in us and making us the choice for the use of this beautiful and serene environment for the start of this campus in spite of the stiff competition from other universities,” he said.

“…it is our hope that this campus would, in the distant future, develop into a full-fledged university like the University of Mines and University in Tarkwa and the University of Energy,” he added.

The Managing Director of the Obuasi Mine, Eric Asubonteng also revealed that, the establishment of the Obuasi campus is good for the diversification of the Obuasi economy.

Over 2000 students applied to the Obuasi Campus of the KNUST but very few were admitted due to insufficient facilities but the university hopes to admit over 2000 students next year.

How it started

AngloGold Ashanti Ghana’s Obuasi Mine, has consolidated its operational Surface footprint to the south section. As a result, office complexes and residential properties at the north mine have become redundant to the Obuasi mining operations. The mine therefore submitted a proposal to the Government to use the northern facilities to establish a university campus in an attempt to diversify the Obuasi economy. Government approved the proposal and formed a committee comprising AngloGold Ashanti Ghana (AGAG), the traditional leaders, the Municipal Assembly, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to plan and execute the establishment of the University Campus.

The committee met and rolled out key timelines that would help in the establishment of the university. The cost of renovating the facilities was determined to be Four Hundred Thousand and Seven Ghana Cedis (GHC 400,007.00) per the Bill of Quantities.

The Municipal Assembly only had a One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis available for the project. In response to a request from the Municipal Assembly, the Obuasi Mine as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) decided to counter fund the project by donating Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH 250,000.00) to complement the Municipal Assembly’s contribution.

Both AGA and government believe that the establishment of the University College would boost the local economy and ensure that the economy continues to thrive beyond the life of the mine.