The Wassa Amenfi Traditional Council is set to establish a University College for the people of the traditional area, and beyond. The Paramount Chief of the area, Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim II, who revealed this to Skyy News in an exclusive interview at his Palace in Wassa Akropong Thursday, 13th September,2018, said the project is partly being financed by the Amenfiman Rural Bank.
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According to him, the University will be a broad based one, but with huge interest in Agriculture, since the area is a predominantly farming one, adding that the idea is to help them to train leaders for the future.
“The University we are setting up for Wassa Amenfi and the proposed name is Amenfi State University, and this is the idea of Nananom and Amenfiman Rural Bank. Amenfiman Rural Bank is for Wassa Amenfi traditional area so we are looking at having a University, so we will be able to train our people and put them in places of work. The focus is to have a broad-based university,” Tetrete Okuamuah Sekyim II said.
A sod-cutting ceremony is expected to be done on Friday, September 14, 2018, as part of activities to mark this year’s ‘Edie’ festival of the Chiefs and people of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area.
According to the Paramount Chief, the nearby University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa is geared towards mining hence there is the need to get another university that will focus on Agriculture and other areas of study.
“University of Mines, as the name implies, is geared towards the mining industry. This University will run programmes such as Agriculture, ICT, Business and others. The more reason why we are trying to set up this University is because if you put Tarkwa aside and go towards Kumasi, there is no University unless you get to Kumasi; Sefwi area, there is none, as well as Brosa and Aowin. So we believe that we are positioned in an area that we will be able to set up this university and cater for our people and other Ghanaians,” he said.
Giving the estimated time line for the completion of the project, Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim II said they are looking at one and half years for the University to start admitting students. He called on all Wassa Amenfi citizens living outside the Traditional Area to come home and support the idea.
The Chief Executive Officer of Amenfiman Rural Bank Limited, lead financial supporters of the initiative, Dr. Alexander Asmah, explained that the bank is very ready to help the Traditional Council to realize this objective.
According to him, education is the key to life and success, and as a people, they also believe that educating their people is the best legacy that they can leave for their generation, so as a rural bank, and a community bank for that matter, they believe that the biggest investment that they can support Nananom to put up to for the people of Wassa is education.
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“We have a lot of basic schools. We have a second cycle institution, but we don’t have any tertiary institution; not a nursing college, not a university, not a polytechnic. And with the support of the Omanhene, Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim II, we have decided to take up this audacious project to put at university college for the people of Wassa Amenfi, and for that matter, the people of Ghana,” said Dr. Asmah.
Story by: Skyy News
