UCC inaugurates training resort, conference centre at Agona Nyakrom
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, last Friday inaugurated a training resort and conference centre for the College of Distance Education (CoDE) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) at Agona Nyakrom.
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The facility has 162 standard bedrooms, 16 executive bedrooms and 10 seminar rooms and auxiliary facilities such as shops, indoor recreational spaces, a kitchen and a multipurpose recreational court.
The centre is the first phase of bringing the university's all-inclusive education and community service to the doorsteps of people of the Agona Nyakrom traditional area.
The training and resort centre project in Agona Nyakrom commenced in 2012 following the generous gift of a 50-acre parcel of land by the Omanhene and the people of Nyakrom in 2007 to the university.
The facility would ultimately be used as a satellite campus of the university, for running of various programmes especially in health and allied sciences.
In an address, the Vice-Chancellor of the UCC, Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, said the project was a testament to the university's unwavering dedication to academic excellence, research innovation and community engagement.
He stated that his vision was to reposition the UCC as the global hub of creative thinkers, offering demand-driven programmes integrated with practical entrepreneurial courses and actively translating the products of its innovative research for sustainable development.
Prof. Boampong observed that linking his vision with the mission of the UCC summarised what the centre sought to do; to ensure it created a niche by providing quality, equitable and inclusive education that empowered the graduates to be independent, lifelong learners and responsible citizens who had passion for job creation while contributing to public service.
He added that the training and resort facility also symbolised the commitment of the university to holistic education, industry, relevance and sustainable development.
He gave an assurance to the Nananom and the people of Agona Nyakrom that their sacrifice would not be in vain, saying the utilisation of the facility and its associated impact would soon be felt by the community.
For his part, Dr Adutwum urged the university and the board to collaborate with the community of Nyakrom to improve education in general in the area.
Robust public school system
The Minister said the ministry’s focus was to create a more robust public education regime from primary school to senior high and to the universities, adding that the ministry would make sure that parents who sent their children to private schools do that as a matter of choice and not because they do not have a choice.
Conducive environment
The Provost of CoDE, Professor Mohammed Anokye Adams, indicated that the CoDE Training Resort and Conference was conceived out of the college's strategic intent and commitment to providing a conducive learning environment, which would equip individuals with the necessary tools and skills to thrive in today's rapidly evolving world.
The Omanhene of Nyakrom, Okofo Okatakyi Nyarku Eku X, appealed to the university not to only make the centre a research and resort court but to use it to run some of the educational programmes such as nursing, midwifery and mental health to give opportunity for students in the communities around to benefit from those programmes.
