The first phase of the executive campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) was commissioned on Tuesday 26th July 2016. The campus which will be run by the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL) is located at Moree, near Cape Coast in the Central Region.
In his address, Professor William Otoo Ellis, Vice Chancellor, stated that the university in its attempt to make higher education accessible to all, conceived the idea of opening campuses in the western corridor of the country. However, KNUST encountered several challenges and finally settled on Moree.
He expressed his appreciation to the traditional authorities in the area for providing land for the construction of the campus. He said current educational trends called for a strategic approach to meeting the educational needs of citizens, and that explained the path chosen by the University to open the executive campus.
Nana Dr. Okatakyi Amenfi VII, Acting President of the Nkusukum Traditional Area, stated that the establishment of the campus was historic and had come to complete the educational system in the area. He added that the addition of a university to the basic and senior high schools in the area was a welcome one. He therefore encouraged all inhabitants to take advantage of the institution to upgrade themselves. Nana Dr. Amenfi also appealed to management to expedite work on the outstanding sections to ensure its total completion very soon. He thanked the university for delivering on its promise by ensuring that almost a year after the sod-cutting, the first phase was ready.
Dr. Kwame Saarah-Mensah, Chairman of the Governing Council, stated that with the current student population of about 40,000, the Distance Learning platform was a laudable venture the university had implemented. He also encouraged the traditional rulers to take advantage of the academic programmes of the executive campus, especially those on chieftaincy to acquire more knowledge to help in their operations.
The Vice Chancellor, traditional leaders and the Chairman of Council cut the tape to officially open the first phase. Very Reverend Dr. Paul K. Boafo dedicated the building.
In August 2015, KNUST and the Asebu/Nkusukum Traditional Council signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and cut the sod for the beginning of the construction of state-of-the-art executive campus and research centre.
The estimated cost of the campus is twenty-seven million Ghana cedis and it will be completed in 12 months. The project is in two phases: the first phase includes the construction of executive lodges for chiefs of the communities, lecture theatres, conference rooms, a recreational area along the beach, twenty-five chalets, a restaurant/kitchen and a bar while during the second phase, more lecture halls would be built.