The National President of the UPSA Alumni, Dr John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, told the Daily Graphic after the launch of the 2018 Homecoming Summit that plans were far advanced for the construction to begin.

“Hopefully by June, we will cut the sod for the construction of 1,500-capacity hostel. Plans are a far advanced; management has released a parcel of land to the alumni association and we are currently sourcing for funds to commence the construction of the hostel which will go a long way to reduce the huge accommodation deficiency in the university,” he stated.

He said the project would be done on a build, operate and transfer basis, with some contributions from the alumni community.

Breakfast meeting

Alumni members met with the Vice Chancellor (VC) of UPSA, Prof. Abednego Okoe Amartey, at a breakfast meeting at the school and also launched the 2018 Homecoming of the association.

According to Dr Mawutor, the event sought to bring all past students back to campus to support the university achieve its vision.

“It is a programme that we have been doing for about six years now and this year we want to invite all our alumni back to campus. This morning’s programme was the beginning of the homecoming summit which we launched,” he said.

Prof. Amartey urged the Alumni Association to support the Vice Chancellor’s Endowment Fund to help brilliant, needy students enjoy their tertiary education in UPSA.

The alumni pledged to contribute GH¢20,000 every year for the next five years to the endowment fund, and it has already given GH¢40,000 in the last two years.

2018 homecoming

Dr Mawutor said as part of the homecoming, the alumni would hold its first lecture on leadership and corporate governance on March 28, which will be addressed by the first VC of the UPSA, Prof. Joshua Alabi, and a former student making strides in the public sector in Ghana.

There will also be a health walk for the alumni on March 31 from the 37 Military Hospital to the UPSA campus, after which members will participate in a number of sporting activities and an inter-year group contest.

The alumni will also host its evening of success stories on October 5, where a couple of successful alumni members will be invited to speak to fellow alumni, as well as students, about their experience in the corporate world.

“The programme will be climaxed by an awards night and dinner and finally we will have our election for the year to elect new executive members,” he stated.