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UGMS 1997 year group hands over refurbished hostel to alma mater
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The 1997 year group of the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS) has renovated and handed over a hostel facility at Danfa in the Greater Accra Region to the school.
The project which cost GH¢182,000 was completed within two months.
It was fitted with 45 durable metal beds with mattresses, 15 sets of tables and chairs, curtains, plumbing and retiling of the washrooms and two sets of ironing boards and irons.
It was in response to the school’s call on alumni to support in the provision of infrastructure to enhance effective teaching, learning and research.
Additionally, the group donated GH¢5,000 worth of medical supplies to the Danfa Clinic.
A member of the year group, Dr Angela El-Adas, said it was important to renovate the hostel to make it more comfortable for students to have the peace of mind to learn.
She mentioned that “along the line, we received some challenges the school was facing and decided as a year group to renovate it to give the students sound mind and a conducive ambience to aid their studies.
She said some of her colleagues have specialised in public and community health owing it to their stay and study at the Danfa Community and Health Centre.
After a tour of some facilities such as hostels and the Basic Sciences building at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr El-Adas said there was a need for continuous support for the school, adding that “these facilities at Korle-Bu needed some investment.”
The Acting Dean of UGMS, Prof. Yvonne Dei Adomako, said the year group has demonstrated love to the school that nurtured them by giving the hostel at Danfa a facelift.
She said the facility was used by the school for its district rotation by the level 500 students as part of their community health rotation.
She said the hostel for several years had not seen any facelift, stating that it had deteriorated with the beds and mattresses needing replacement while the washrooms required refurbishment.
Due to the poor state of the hostel, some students, she said finds accommodation elsewhere when they are asked to come for rotation.
“We called on the alumni to help with various projects and this was one of the projects and the 1997 year group decided to take it on,” she said.
She called on other alumni to come together and support the school in order to attract students in and out of the country.
The outgoing president of the year group, Dr Kojo Cobba Essel urged other year groups to emulate the example by responding to the school’s distress call.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
The Ghana Tourism Development Company, GTDC, under the leadership of Prof.Kobby Mensah has launched GTDC Campus Tourism Office at the University of Ghana.
The initiative aims to promote educational and domestic tourism by providing structured campus tour experiences showcasing key heritage sites, including the Archaeology Museum and the School of Performing Arts.
It will also offer students their first travel experience across the continent and inculcate in them love to visit Ghana’s heritage sites.
Addressing the gathering at the launch yesterday, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, described tourism as a vehicle for education and heritage preservation, stressing that the sector must inspire citizens to value and protect national culture for future generations.
The minister highlighted tourism’s connection to disciplines such as history, the arts, economics and environmental science.
The minister further noted that the private sector is the engine of tourism economy, adding that the engines require fuel, which is talents.” by investing in these young people today, you are securing the quality, the innovation and competitiveness of our own industry for tomorrow.
She added that the establishment of the office represents a deliberate investment in the intellectual capital of the country.
The GTDC boss, Prof.Kobby Mensah, said,”at GTDC, we believe that if our tourism has to be sustainable, we have to promote domestic tourism and a very big part of it is getting students to appreciate tourism and helping them to organise tours.”
He added that the University of Ghana itself is a huge heritage site which must be explored.
Prof.Kobby Mensah noted that the initiative, which is one of many to be established across the country, is a joint partnership between GTDC and University of Ghana.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof.Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said the University is a custodian of heritage which goes beyond the structures and welcomed the establishment of the first Campus Tourism Office.
She was optimistic that the office would be put to good use to achieve the intended purpose.
The launch brought together Stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to nurturing future tourism and hospitality professionals.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Ghana has officially accepted an invitation to serve as Guest Country at Burkina Faso’s 22nd National Culture Week in Bobo-Dioulasso from April 22 to May 2, 2026.
The invitation was extended by Burkina Faso’s Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, Gilbert Noël Ouédraogo, accompanied by the Ambassador of Burkina Faso to Ghana, H.E. David Kabré.
Receiving the delegation, Abla Dzifa Gomashie reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to deepening cultural diplomacy and strengthening historic ties between the two nations.
She noted that the festival will create opportunities for young creatives, expand exhibition platforms and promote commercial exchange within the creative sector.
The event will feature cultural performances, a community village and gastronomy fair, an arts market, literary engagements, and a craft and trade fair.
Ghana’s participation is expected to further strengthen bilateral relations between John Dramani Mahama and Ibrahim Traoré, while fostering collaboration within the creative ecosystems of both countries.
