We want equity in provision of educational infrastructure – UWR MPs appeal to government

The Upper West Regional group of Parliament has called for an equal sharing of the national resources to warrant fairness in the provision of educational infrastructure in the country.

Lack of infrastructure at the Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) was the main issue disturbing the parliamentary party. They said there should be a conscious effort by the government to bring it on par with other public universities in the country.

Identify its cause and make sure that it received the necessary support to develop and expand to be fully and to increase its intake.

Familiarisation tour. The chairman of the parliamentary party which is the association of all Members of Parliament from the UWR, Dr Sebastien Sandaare, MP for Daffiama-Bussie-Issa,on April 8, 2025,  made the promise when the group payed a visit to the territory of the university to enlighten itself with the development and difficulties it is encountering.

He believed that SDD-UBIDS should be provided resources proportionate with its name while accepting the fact that resources were infrequent and as such it would be necessary to intelligently manage the little resources at hand.

Informing the Management of the University, Dr Sandaare said years ago, the MPs only engaged themselves with the distinctive needs of their constituencies and promoted them.

Nevertheless this year, he said the parliamentary party or the caucus had decided to go after some of the needs of the region and as such decided to visit some of the regional institutions to negotiate with them and know how they could be of help to them.

Dr Sandaare said it was important as the representatives of the people; they helped in the development of the regional institutions for the well-being of their people.

The members of the delegation included the MP for Nandom,Dr Richard Kuuire,  MP for Lawra, Bede Ziedeng, the MP for Sissala East, Issa Mohammed Bataglia and MP for Wa West Peter Lanchene Toobu.

Stave Off projects

In his welcome address, Prof. Emmanuel Derbile, the Vice Chancellor of the university, said there were a number of Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) projects on their territory that had stave off for more than 15 years and called for the help of the parliamentary party to complete them.

The stave off projects include the construction of  a three-storey lecture and office complex, a library complex, the construction of a two-storey hall of residence and the construction of a multipurpose auditorium, all approximately to cost about GHc178 million.

Partial measures to match the infrastructure needs of the university, he said management decided to enact to the Accelerated GETFund Infrastructure Completion Initiative, where the university used part of its inwardly  generated funds and mobilised other funds from its pension fund to complete the project, subject to GETFund repayment.

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