Sunyani, April 03, GNA - Construction work on the permanent campus for the Catholic University College of Ghana has begun at Fiapre, near Sunyani.

The project, which will be in eight phases, is estimated at 100 billion cedis and when completed will have administration blocks, lecture halls, sporting facilities, utilities, assembly halls, departmental faculties and an ICT centre.

Other facilities to be provided are residential halls, additional lecture theatres, a cafeteria, residential hostels, chapel and a student counselling centre, additional lecture rooms and administration blocks, library and computer laboratories for distance education. The project will be completed in 10 years.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA on Monday Mr Ernest K. A. Odoom, Registrar of the University, said the construction of the six-square-kilometre permanent site was to allow for the expansion of infrastructure to meet the increasing student population. The university has a student population of 361, he said, and it was hopes to have a student intake of 600 by the time it moves to the permanent site.

Mr Odoom said the university intended to secure funds through fund raising activities, bank loans, benefactors and the Graphic Communications Group.

He explained that the University was sited in Brong Ahafo inline with the Catholic Mission's aim of making higher education accessible to all manner of persons in the northern part of the country in view of the inadequate number of universities there.

"Most of the universities are in the southern part of Ghana and efforts must be made to take education to the rural areas too", Mr Odoom said. 03 April 06