For more than 30,000 students of the University for Development Studies (UDS), the promise of a future driven by innovation took shape in Tamale as the university and the MTN Ghana Foundation broke ground for a US$615,000 multi-purpose Student Resource Centre – a hub designed to connect learning with the demands of the digital age.
The sod-cutting ceremony, held on Friday, September 26, 2025, at the university’s main campus, was marked by a brief but powerful programme of speeches that underscored a shared vision: to equip Ghana’s youth with the tools, skills, and opportunities to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
Representing Adwoa Wiafe, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer of MTN Ghana, Robert Kuzoe set the tone. “Today we are embarking on a transformative journey for our students, our youth, and our nation,” he said. “We are not just laying the foundation for a building, we are laying the foundation for a future where Ghana’s youth are equipped with the skills and opportunities to lead in the digital age.”
Wiafe’s remarks were grounded in the realities facing young people. Africa is home to the world’s youngest population, with Ghana’s median age under 25, yet youth unemployment remains a daunting challenge. In 2023, the unemployment rate stood at 23 percent. Against this backdrop, the UDS Student Resource Centre – to be completed in 12 months at a cost of GH¢9.7 million – will serve not just as a building, but as a hub of digital learning, STEM education, and artificial intelligence training. Equipped with 70 laptops, robotics kits, and video conferencing facilities, the centre will connect students across UDS campuses and link them to the wider world.
“By providing access to modern digital tools and training, we are empowering our youth to become creators, innovators, and leaders in the digital economy,” Wiafe stressed. The project, she added, was designed not only for UDS students but also for young people across the northern region – an open invitation to transform potential into power.
If MTN Ghana Foundation provided the spark, UDS provided the soil in which the vision could grow. Prof. Seidu Al-hassan, Vice-Chancellor of UDS, captured the symbolic weight of the occasion. “We are not just here to break ground,” he said through Prof. Muniru Iddrisu, Principal of the Nyankpala Campus. “We are here to plant a seed – a seed of innovation, a seed of opportunity, and a seed for the future of our students, our university, and indeed our entire region.”
Tracing the journey of the project, the Vice-Chancellor explained how it began nearly two years ago as a simple proposal for a recreational space. But MTN challenged the university to think bigger. “They asked a critical question: how can the facility serve and transform the learning experience at UDS?” he recalled. That question transformed the project into a multi-purpose resource centre with a state-of-the-art skills laboratory.
Now valued at US$615,000 and designed to serve more than 30,000 users, the centre will stand as a pillar of digital literacy, fitted with equipment for training in artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, and the Internet of Things. It will also function as a conference facility linking students with industry experts, while offering a space for relaxation and collaboration. “In essence,” Prof. Al-hassan declared, “this centre will be a one-stop shop for nurturing both the technical and social intelligence of our students, and in fact, shaping the graduates of tomorrow.”
For Dr. Umar Haruna, Dean of Student Affairs, the day’s ceremony was the culmination of vision, persistence, and teamwork. “Permit me to say that this whole gathering is the result of an idea, a vision, and the tenacity of an individual within a team,” he began.
That individual was his predecessor, Prof. Alhassan Musah, who first submitted a modest proposal in October 2023 for a student recreational centre. With MTN’s guidance, the concept evolved into something much more transformative. “From a recreational centre, the idea metamorphosed into something much more relevant to the university’s aims and objectives, while also tying in very nicely with the MTN Foundation’s larger goals and objectives,” Dr. Haruna explained.
He recalled the critical milestones: MTN’s scoping visit in May 2024, the subsequent revisions, and the eventual approval of funding in November 2024 after a presentation to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Along the way, a dedicated team of faculty and staff — including Dr. Iddrisu Yabason, Prof. Sanatu Mustafa, Prof. Linda Derry, and Engineer Deborah — gave life to the vision.
For Dr. Haruna, the resource centre embodies more than just infrastructure; it reflects a philosophy of education. “Imagine a world where students become creative problem solvers, where they are dedicated to lifelong learning,” he said. Already, many students have begun enrolling in MTN’s Digital Skills Training Programme – a prelude to the opportunities the centre will offer once completed.
Adding his voice, Eric Dannsa Appiah, Managing Director of Gold Coast Consolidated Limited, contractors of the project, gave his firm assurance that the building would be delivered on schedule. “We will make sure work is done within the stipulated period of 12 months,” he pledged. While describing the contract as an opportunity to serve UDS, he also appealed for collaboration. “We ask the university community to cooperate and support us so that together, we can do a good job,” he said.
“To our students,” Dr. Haruna concluded “let us take advantage of this project when it is completed, develop our skills, and make ourselves relevant to our economy and to the world at large. We celebrate this achievement today, and we hope that in exactly 12 months, we will be visiting the site again — this time to commission it.”
And so, in Tamale, a ceremonial spade did more than break the ground; it broke open a new chapter of possibility – one rooted in collaboration, vision, and the unwavering belief that Ghana’s youth can and must lead in the digital age.
Source: www.KumasiMail.Com/JosephZiem
