The Confucius Institute at the University of Cape-Coast (CI-UCC), in conjunction with the Centre for African and International Studies (CAIS), has held the 2017 China-African Urban Development Forum at the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

The forum, aimed at providing a platform for researchers and practitioners to discuss issues related to urban development, is on the theme “Sustainable Urban Development in Contemporary Times”.  It is also open to practitioners – planners - who work within the urban areas to exchange ideas in order to extend the frontiers of urban research and also promote sustainable urban development.

Delivering the keynote address on the theme “Policy Interventions and Programmes towards the Upgrading of Slums in Ghana: the Role of the Ministry of Inner-City and Zongo Development”, the Minister of Inner City and Zongo Development, Hon.  Boniface Abubakar Saddique, pointed out that Inner-City and Zongo Communities (ICZCs) were vital part of the rich fabric that defined the urban tapestry and, therefore, could not be sidelined in  Ghana’s quest to develop.

He said the urban landscape of Ghana was undergoing radical transformation and modernization following the proliferation of superstructures such as shopping malls, upscale residential estate housing, international standard hotels and other high rise commercial buildings. According to the Minister, such developments have resulted in a “burgeoning urban divide with affluent communities”.

Citing Accra as an  example, he said there were more affluent communities like Airport Residential area, Dzorwulu and Cantonments, whilst there were also slums in Nima, Maamobi, Sabon Zongo and Sodom and Gomorrah (Old Fadama). However, Hon. Saddique said these Inner-City Zongo slums areas had played critical role in Ghana’s socio-economic development through the provision of affordable housing for the poor and the marginalized.

He said slum dwellers were confronted with a number of socio-economic challenges due to the unplanned nature of such communities. The Minister further revealed that slums lacked basic services, including water and sanitation. He opined that successive governments neglected Inner-City Zongo communities  in their implementation of the country’s development programmes, which have affected the quality of life of their (ICZCs') dwellers.

It is against this backdrop, Hon. Saddique said  the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had created the Ministry of Inner-City and Zongo Development.

The Minister said the creation of the Ministry would help Ghana to make giant strides towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goal 10, which focuses on reducing inequalities within and among countries. He gave the assurance that Inner-City Zongo communities in the country would benefit from the Zongo Development Fund, which is aimed at uplifting the condition of the Zongo communities across the country.

Hon. Saddique noted that  government had envisaged potential challenges that the Fund would face, such as undue politicization and conflicts due to competing interests. He, therefore, called on community level stakeholders, academia, political parties and development partners to support the government to achieve its visions.

For his part, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D.D Kuupole, speaking on the theme “ Urban Development in Contemporary Times”, said urbanization stemmed from increasing population in urban areas, mainly as a result of rural-urban migration which culminates into cities and towns. Therefore, he said urbanization was one of the driving forces which necessitated the need to develop urban areas.

He said multi-linguicism creates the opportunity for effective and efficient socio-cultural dialogue require for the development of a unique urban culture which transcends some cultural boundaries. The former Vice-Chancellor noted that multi-linguicism, at times, made it difficult for policy makers to decide which language should be used  in schools as a medium of interaction.
He said the rising population in the urban areas could also lead to tension between the indigenous language of the urban area and the assimilated language.
Prof. Kuupole said the myriad of challenges associated with urbanization and multi-linguicism could be addressed through  integrated linguistic framework and the day- to -day interaction amongst divergent city dwellers.

He was of the firm conviction that multi-linguicism  was instrinsically linked  to urban development. To this end, he said, "For the various individuals in this context (urban development) to survive, they must relate to one another and in doing so they must communicate through languages that translates their share values and aspirations".  Prof. Kuupole further called for tolerance, accomodation of varied opinions, consensus building and mutual respect among members within urban communities for rapid urban development.

On his part, the Chineese Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Sun Baohong, in a speech read on her behalf by the China Director of the Confucius Institute at UCC, Prof. Hu Liangai, said China was committed to promoting Sustainable Urban Development. She said China and Ghana enjoyed a longstanding bond of traditional friendship and rapid development in co-operation in economics, trade, education and other fields.

Ambassador Sun Baohong thanked the University of Cape Coast and added that  the Chinese Embassy would spare no efforts to support the development of the institute at the University.

 The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, lauded the collaboration between UCC and  Hunan City University,China, for moving beyond cultural exchange and language barrier to organise the Forum. He described  the timing of the forum as apt , saying “ we have a new government with a focus of rural and urban development with special emphasis on the Zongos, which are found in both rural and urban communities in Ghana.”

Some students who had excelled academically in the Chinese Language were giving certificates.
 
 
 

The Campus Broadcasting Services Centre (CBS) has embarked on health walk to mark the beginning of activities for its one year anniversary celebration.

CBS officially began operation in its permanent building behind Valco Hall on Monday, 21st November, 2016 after operating as ATL FM within Atlantic Hall for over 20 years.

Presenters and other staff members of CBS as well as the University Community and the general public joined the health walk  amidst brass band and Ghana MP3 Music from sound system from the Main Administration through Science and finally ended at the CBS Complex.  Participants including some members of  the Cape Coast Stadium Keep Fit Club, Kokoado Fun Club, Senior Staff Association (SSA), UCC and Teachers and Education Workers (TEWU), UCC were taken through vigorous aerobic session after the walk.  As part of the programme, health workers from Baiden Ghartey Hospital conducted free medical screening for the participants.

Sharing some health titbits with participants after the walk, a Medical Officer at the UCC Health Services, Dr.  Ignatius Hudu Sirikyi, underscored the importance of health and urged the participants to regularly exercise in order to keep themselves healthy. He said regular exercise would help to reduce stress, blood pressure and cholesterol levels in the body.
 “Exercise is good but when you do it in a group, there is what we call social effect of being with people, meeting with them and making friendship and that alone is enough to help you to be able to handle some situations in your life,” he added.

On behalf of management of CBS, the Deputy Station Manager, Daniel Opoku, thanked participants for taking part in the health walk. He said other activities for the weeklong celebration included donation to orphanage on Monday and a lecture on the theme “Maintaining Professional Standards in Journalism, the Role of the Journalist” on Tuesday, 21st November, 2017.
 

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has received the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency, Micheal Femi Abikoye and his entourage at the Council Chamber.

The purpose of the visit by the High Commissioner was to officially introduce himself to the Vice-Chancellor and also deepen the existing relations between the Commission and the University. Speaking during the meeting, HE. Abikoye said that  he was appointed as High Commissioner to Ghana on  July this 2017 and presented his letters of credence to President Akufo Addo on 18th August, 2017.

HE. Abikoye noted that as part of his duty tour in Ghana as an envoy, he was duty-bound to seek the welfare of Nigerians across the country. According to him, there were a lot of Nigerian students who have enrolled in  Ghanaian universities and the students have been complaining about the hike in tuition fees.

The High Commissioner said this development was burdening  parents, resulting in the increasingly reduction of the number of students who enrol in Ghanaian universities. " I therefore humbly call on the management of the University to review the tuition fees for foreign students to enable more students to access university education in Ghana", he appealed.  

HE. Abikoye was grateful that Nigerians and Ghanaians were living peacefully and enjoying a fruitful relationship. He thus advised Nigerian students to respect the laws of the institution in order not to fall foul of the laws.

For his part, the Vice-Chancellor described the visit of HE. Abikoye to the University as "a memorable one". He assured the High Commissioner that management of the University would take a second  look at the fees.

"We will take another look at the fees paid by non-Ghanaian students from the sub-region." he said. Prof. Ampiah told the High Commissioner that the University would do everything it could to make Nigerian students comfortable.

As part of his visit,  HE. Abikoye interacted with Nigerian students  to get first-hand information about their  challenges on campus and devise ways to addressing them. The High Commissioner was accompanied by the Minister and staff of the High Commission, as well as some members of the Nigerian community in Ghana.

A delegation from Societe Generale Ghana ( SG Ghana) has called on the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, at the Council Chamber.  The delegation, led by the Advisor to the Managing Director SG Ghana, Mr. Edmund W. Brobbey, was at the University to introduce new banking products initiated by SG Ghana to the Vice-Chancellor and the University community. Key amongst the initiatives, according to Mr. Brobbey, was the Digital Corner, which is a completely self-service miniature styled branch powered by solar energy. He revealed that the two main elements found in the Digital Corner were new generation of ATM and tablets. He further disclosed that the Digital Corner could enable students and staff to check their account balance, make product request, locate any of the 42 branches of SG Ghana throughout the country using google maps, calculate and a make loan request; and access base rate and indicative forex rates. Mr. Brobbey said university students were fast embracing digitization, hence, the need to introduce the Digital Corner for 24 hours easy banking services. He, therefore, requested a parcel of land to put up the Digital Corner for the University community. Addressing the delegation, Prof. Ampiah expressed joy at the new initiative and told the delegation that the University would give the Bank a place to put up the structure. He added that the University would also give the bank the chance to sensitize members of the university community on their services and products. He reminded them of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) towards the University so as to deepen the relations well. In a similar development, the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has met with a delegation from Fidelity Bank. The delegation was at the University to congratulate the Vice-Chancellor on his appointment and also introduce some of the Bank’s products to the University management. Speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr. Julian Opuni, said the Bank had positioned itself well and was ready to provide quality banking services to the University community. Some officials of the Bank took turns to explain some of the initiatives of the bank, including personal banking for staff, transaction banking, QR code system, cashless system, amongst others. For his part, Prof. Ampiah thanked the delegation for the visit and indicated that the University was ready to work with banks which would provide better services to its staff and students, stressing that” we don’t have permanent friends, we have permanent interest.” He urged the Bank to discharge its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) roles to the University. That, he said, would encourage the University to partner the Bank effectively for future endeavours.