Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to help the institution in the payment of their judgment debt.
$165 million judgment against UG
Her remarks come after the University of Ghana was slapped by United States Federal Court with $165 million judgment debt for wrongly terminating the Africa Integras Contract in 2018.
The contract was for building academic and residential facilities for the school.
Global insurer Chubb Limited filed a petition asking a New York court to settle a $165 million arbitration award against the country’s premier University for failing to honour its side of a flagship development partnership backed by the U.S. government.
Former Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ernest Aryeetey, through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Africa Integras of $64 million in constructing a new 1000-bed students’ hostel on the Legon campus.
The academic refuted claims by his successor, Prof Ebenezer Oduro, that the deal was dubious, describing them as falsehood.
The $64 million deal was signed with a mortgage financing agreement from the U.S State Department’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), now Development Finance Corporation, of up to $41 million.
The suit comes shortly after the management of the University debunked reports that it has incurred a $165m judgment debt.
The management said any such statement was untrue and intended to create panic among the University’s stakeholders.
Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo reacts
Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, speaking at her induction ceremony said the government must intervene to help them relieve the financial burden on the institution.
She said “A few issues which have consumed the management of UG in recent years are financial liabilities, resulting mainly from judgment debts and botched agreements.
“Mr. President, I would like to make an appeal to your government to deliver us from this rogue that hinders our growth and efforts to be truly world-class. I am making a special appeal to you to support us to clear our unfortunate debt, so we can get a clean slate to start on.”
She further announced her plan to institute the one student, one laptop policy.
According to her, she intends to institute a ‘one student, one laptop’ policy by collaborating with an IT company.
She noted that she is taking a cue from the government’s similar policy adding that the initiative will help equip students for the technological drive.
“I intend to institute one student, one-laptop policy, where we will collaborate with established ICT institutions to provide our students and staff to have their own laptops or handheld devices.
“Mr. President, in this regard, we will need your support and that of your government to waive taxes for us making these devices affordable for our students and staff,” she stated.
