Business School to expand facilities

Daily Graphic (Pg 29) Friday, May 28/10

Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho

THE University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) is constructing a $21 million facility to house its Executive Masters Business Administration (EMBA) programme.
The facility, which would have an administration block, a six-unit 250-seater lecture hall, a six-storey office block for library, syndicate rooms, a 1,000 seater conference hall, faculty offices and lecture theatres, is the first phase of an estimated GH¢100 million project aimed at establishing a world class executive business school in the country.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. C. N. B. Tagoe who launched the 10th anniversary celebrations of the EMBA during a ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of the state-of-the-art EMBA facility, said the construction of the project formed part of a bigger dream of making the University of Ghana a centre of greater excellence.
He said from a humble beginning of 60 students in 2000, the school can now boast 400 students admitted each year and therefore, the need to expand the facility to accommodate the ever increasing population of the school.
Prof. Tagoe, who congratulated the management of the school, said “In 10 years, you have led the way, created opportunities and through your work,many others have now come to see the opportunities that abound in providing executive education in Ghana”.
He, however, called on the management to ensure that they appropriately name the facility or sections of it in memory and honour of the late Prof. Stephen Acheampong, whose dedication, passion, drive and vision were key in the establishment of the school.
The acting Dean of the Faculty of the EMBA, Mr S. Takyi-Asiedu in an address, said when completed, the facility would be a world class teaching and learning centre comparable to others such as Harvard in the United States of America.
According to him, the EMBA was the first academic programme of its kind in the country and West African sub-region, saying the school has come very far in its quest for excellence in both teaching and learning.
He said the school was blazing the trail to provide a completely modern, excellent and state-of-the-art executive building to provide first class teaching and learning facility for its valued students.
He said in future, other facilities such as a hostel, a three-star hotel, a one-stop shopping mall, a stock exchange centre, a cafeteria among others would be added to the project.
Mr Takyi-Asiedu commended the UG for proving the school with the land for the project.
Representatives from the Merchant Bank, Fidelity Bank, CAL Bank and the Intercontinental Bank, all pledged their readiness to support in the construction of the facility.