News
Visually impaired student named valedictorian at University of Ghana
Mr Ephraim Ayeh Oracca-Tetteh, a visually impaired student, has achieved a perfect 4.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), earning the prestigious title of valedictorian for the University of Ghana’s 2025 graduating class.
Mr Oracca-Tetteh was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Classics and Philosophy.
His remarkable accomplishment was celebrated at the College of Humanities congregation held at the University’s Great Hall.
Mr Oracca-Tetteh’s journey to academic excellence began at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2017 but was interrupted when his eyesight began to deteriorate.
Despite this challenge, he persevered and was transferred to the University of Ghana, where he thrived.
Beyond his academic achievements, Mr Oracca-Tetteh demonstrated leadership skills, serving as the organiser and Public Relations Officer for the association of students with special needs.
He also actively advocated inclusivity and accessibility of students with disability within the University.
In his valedictorian speech, Mr Oracca-Tetteh acknowledged the difficulties faced by the graduating class of 2024, including the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to modular learning, and personal hardships.
He emphasised the resilience of his classmates and the crucial role of the university’s support systems in their success.
Mr Oracca-Tetteh highlighted the transformative power of assistive technology in bridging accessibility gaps for students with special needs and shared his personal experience of how technology enabled him to fully engage with course materials and communicate effectively with lecturers.
Mr Oracca-Tetteh praised the University of Ghana’s commitment to inclusivity and its embrace of innovation and technology to support students with diverse needs.
Mr Kwame Agyepong Oppong, the Guest Speaker and Head of Fintech and Innovation, Bank of Ghana, tasked the graduands to remain committed to serving the country through their respective career choices.
“Let the course of Ghana and Africa be seared in your minds and be engraved on your hearts until you draw your last breath. From these lessons, I hope you are more assured that it does work out in the end,” he said.
The University of Ghana’s graduation ceremony, spanning seven days, will see a total of 18,780 students receive their degrees across 18 sessions.
The graduating class comprises 123 PhDs, 3,444 masters’ degrees, 11,067 undergraduate degrees, and 1,116 diplomas. —GNA
News
Helicopter crash victims laid to rest
The remaining victims of the August 6 helicopter crash were laid to rest at the Military Cemetery at Tse Addo in Accra, following a state funeral at the Black Star Square.
The six included Defence Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Council (NDC), Dr Samuel Sarpong, Deputy Director General of the National Disaster Organisation (NADMO), Samuel Aboagye, and three Ghana Armed Forces officers Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manaen Twum-Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Two of the victims, who are Muslims, Environment Minister Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed and Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Mohammed Muniru Limuna were earlier laid to rest.
The funeral ceremony was attended by the President, John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Naana Jane Opoku- Agyemang, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, the Acting Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and service chiefs.
It was a day of pain and sorrow as tributes poured from widows, children, colleagues, and state officials.
President John Dramani Mahama in his speech hailed the deceased as patriots who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.
- Former President John Agyekum Kufuor (second from right), Former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (right), and the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin (left) and others
- Former President Akuffo-Addo (fourth from left) and Wife arriving at the Independence Square for the funeral
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
News
UDS student transforms learning in deprived Ashanti community with locally-made school furniture
A student of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Mr Ganiu Salifu Luri, has brought relief and renewed hope to pupils and teachers of Asare Nkwanta, a deprived community in the Sekyere Central District of the Ashanti Region, by mobilising residents to manufacture urgently needed school furniture.
Until this intervention, nearly 70 school children in the community endured the discomfort of sitting and lying on the bare floor during lessons, while teachers struggled without desks on which to carry out their work.
The lack of basic learning and teaching resources had long been a barrier to effective education delivery in the community.
Mr Luri, who is serving in Asare Nkwanta as part of the University’s Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP), said the situation deeply moved him when he arrived.
Determined to make a difference, he established a community-based initiative named ‘Equip to Excel,’ aimed at mobilising local residents to address the pressing furniture deficit in the school.
Through his foundation, Mr Luri encouraged community members to contribute wood and other materials, after which he personally undertook the carpentry work to produce desks and tables for the school.
His efforts culminated in a formal presentation of the newly manufactured furniture to the school during an assessment visit by his supervisors, including Dr Hardi Shahadu of UDS.
Community elders and school management described the intervention as a game-changer for education in Asare Nkwanta.
“This has solved one of the most urgent challenges in our school. The children can now learn in comfort, and teachers can work more effectively,” an elder remarked during the handing over ceremony.
Asare Nkwanta is one of many underserved communities in the Sekyere Central District, grappling with inadequate infrastructure, limited educational resources, and socioeconomic challenges.
The TTFPP, a flagship component of UDS’academic calendar sends students to such rural and peri-urban areas to live, work, and identify development needs while implementing practical solutions that leave lasting impact.
Mr Luri’s initiative is one of many innovative projects being undertaken by UDS students across Ghana under the TTFPP.
In various communities, these students have addressed issues ranging from sanitation and water supply to health education and skills training with each project tailored to the needs identified in their host communities.
The Vice-Chancellor of UDS has often described the TTFPP as “the University’s most distinctive contribution to Ghana’s development,” combining academic learning with community service to nurture socially responsible graduates while delivering real change at the grassroots.
For Asare Nkwanta, the desks built through the dedication of a young university student now stand as a lasting reminder that with vision, collaboration, and determination, even the most deprived communities can take steps toward educational transformation.
Credit:https:uds.edu.gh/news
