Prez Mahama announces establishment of African Centre for Development at UDS

President John Dramani Mahama has announced a donation of GHc200,000 towards the establishment of an African Centre for Development at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale.

The centre is to promote research into indigenous businesses by local and foreign students.
President Mahama announced the government's donation at a special congregation for the conferment of a doctorate degree on former President Jerry John Rawlings.

The award of the degree on the former President Rawlings was in recognition of his support for the establishment of the UDS. He donated the $50,000 he was awarded from the World Hunger Award towards the setting of the UDS in 1993.

President Mahama said the establishment of the African Centre for Development would allow students, local and foreign, to share ideas on indigenous businesses.

That, he said, would allow the students to put their research findings into practice.

The President affirmed the government's commitment to provide more resources for the expansion of infrastructure at the UDS to admit more students.

Besides, he said, the government had the vision to establish three autonomous universities out of the UDS in each of the three regions of the north.

President Mahama lauded the UDS for sticking to the vision of the founder by focusing on the development needs of the people in savanna zone.

For instance, he said, the UDS students continued to go to remote areas to interact with the people and address their needs.

President Mahama charged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to make use of the research works conducted by the students of UDS.

He said the application of the pro-poor ideas in the research works would propel socio- economic growth in the deprived communities in the country.

The President paid tribute to former President Rawlings for resisting several attempts to prevent the establishment of the UDS.

Therefore, he said, the curtailment of the award to former President Rawlings 14 years ago was unfortunate and a great disservice to the nation.

"My hope is that the faculty and students who scuttled this same event many years ago, have today grown up and understand the disservice that they did to this great institution.

"This ceremony is significant to right a wrong that was inflicted on this university 14 years ago. Today's honour is not only fitting, but I dare say it is 14years too late," President Mahama said.

By Zakaria Alhassan & Musah Yahaya Jafaru, TAMALE
Daily Graphic/graphic.com.gh/Ghana