UCC Moves to Ease Student Accommodation Pressure with 28,000-Bed Project

The University of Cape Coast (UCC) is set to significantly expand its student accommodation capacity with a proposed 28,000-bed facility estimated to cost US$500 million.

The initiative is expected to ease pressure on accommodation at the university and provide students with alternatives to increasingly expensive private hostels.

UCC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday with GSC Property Investment Limited for the development of the facility under a 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) arrangement.

About 25 hectares of university land have been allocated for the project, which will comprise 28 dormitory blocks, commercial and catering centres, an entertainment and cinema centre, student activity facilities, parking areas and other supporting infrastructure.

The Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, who witnessed the signing of the agreement, said the project was structured in a way that would not require direct government funding or a sovereign guarantee.

He explained, however, that the agreement must still go through the required government approval processes, including Cabinet and Parliamentary approval, Ministry of Finance procedures and a Value for Money assessment.

Mr Iddrisu stressed the need for UCC to ensure that the eventual accommodation charges remained within the reach of students.

He said this was particularly important as the cost of private hostel accommodation continued to rise, placing an increasing financial burden on students and their families.

The Minister said the UCC project could provide a model for addressing the accommodation deficit confronting public universities through public-private partnerships.

He therefore encouraged other tertiary institutions to explore similar arrangements as part of broader efforts to improve student welfare and expand access to quality accommodation on university campuses.

Grace Acheampong, ISD