The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has inaugurated a state-of-the-art Training Resort and Conference Centre for the College of Distance Education (CoDE) of University of Cape Coast (UCC). The facility is located at Agona Nyakrom in the Agona West Municipality of the Central Region.

The edifice, which is the first phase of a range of development projects on a 50-acre land to given UCC by the Agona Nyarkrom Traditiona Council, comprises 162 standard bedrooms, 16 executive bedrooms, 10 seminar rooms and a spacious conference room. Other ancillary facilities include a kitchen, shops, indoor recreational rooms, a servery, a restaurant, a multi-purpose recreational court, a caretaker’s apartment, a 2-bedroom semi-detached house with a kitchen, living and dining area, among others.

Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum,

Commissioning the facility, Dr. Adutwum expressed immense appreciation to the chief and people of the area for providing the conducive environment for the construction and completion of the project.

He reminded residents of the community that education was the surest legacy they could bequeath to their children, adding that through education and knowledge acquisition; he was now a minister of state.

In view of that, the Education Minister appealed to residents of Agona Nyarkrom, especially parents, to invest their resources in the education of their children to ensure they have a good and secured future.

Dr. Adutwum expressed the hope that UCC would liaise with the Municipal Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to extend its Neighbourhood Academic Initiative to the communities in the area so that children could be challenged by the presence of UCC to take their studies seriously.

A group photo of dignitaries at the commissioning

"That is your security because if the community prospers because of your presence, they are the ones that will guard the facility for you," Dr. Adutwum stated.

Consequently, he advised members of Agona Nyakrom to take good care of the facility, maintain and manage it responsibly so that their offspring could also benefit from it.

Prof. Nyarko Boampong delivering his address at the commissioning

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, stated that the construction of the facility started in 2012, however, unforeseen challenges delayed the project.  

"The Training and Resort Centre is not merely a brick-and-mortar-structure. It symbolises the commitment of the University to holistic education, industry relevance and sustainable development" he added.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that the establishment of the Centre "aligns with my vision of repositioning UCC as a global hub of creative thinkers, offering demand-driven programmes, integrated practical entrepreneurship courses, and actively translating the product of innovative research for sustainable development." 

Beyond the educational significance, Prof. Boampong stressed that the Centre would also contribute to the growth of tourism and put Agona Nyarkrom on the global map.

Dr. Adutwum, the Hon. Minister of Education (right) supported by the chairman of UCC Council, Prof. Obeng Mireku, (middle) to commission the staff accommodation block.

 He assured the people and chiefs of Agona Nyakrom of the University’s vision to add to the facility to make it suitable for running various programmes as a satellite campus of UCC, especially in health and allied science programmes. 

The Paramount Chief of Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area, Okatakyie Okofo Nyarku Eku X, who chaired the event, appealed to the University to run some distance education programmes at the Training Centre. 

The Provost of CoDE, Prof. Mohammed Anokye Adam, speaking at the inauguration, said CoDE-UCC was poised to widen access to quality education to all and sundry in the country. He was particularly impressed with the many students of CoDE-UCC who were doing exploits in diverse fields leading to the award of numerous awards both locally and internationally.

Provost of CoDE-UCC, Prof. Anokye Mohammed Adam

He specially mentioned Miss Selasi Domi-Kuwornu, a distance student, for winning the Miss Geek Africa competition in Zimbabwe.

The minister and his entourage were later conducted round the facility.

The ceremony was graced by government officials, traditional leaders, former UCC Vice-Chancellors, among other dignitaries.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC