The University for Development Studies (UDS) has gone into donkey breeding in view of the important role the animal plays in the socio-economic life of the people in the Northern regions.

The donkeys, which are imported from the neighbouring Sahelian countries, are used in animal traction, carting of farm produce, fuel wood gathering, fetching of water and garbage collection among other uses.

Dr Hakeem A. Wemah, Chairman of the UDS Council, announced this when he addressed the second Upper West Regional Coordinating Council at a meeting at Wa on Tuesday.

Dr Wemah told the RCC on UDS' plans for the establishment of the region's campus of the university. He said two of the university's faculties of Integrated Studies and Applied Sciences have been earmarked for the Upper East and Upper West Regions.

The UDS Council Chairman hinted that it would meet on Friday November 16, to officially announce as to which faculty was allocated to the Upper East and Upper West Regions. The Faculty of Integrated Studies, which is in operation, is temporarily located at Navrongo, while the Faculty of Applied Sciences was yet to take off.

The other two faculties, the Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Agriculture are based at Tamale and Nyankpala respectively, in the Northern Region.

Dr Wemah said he was in the region to inspect various facilities that have been offered by the RCC for the establishment of the Upper West Campus of the UDS.

He appealed to district assemblies in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions to invest in hostel facilities, as this was a permanent source of income generation.

Accompanied by Dr E.A. Obodai, a member of the UDS Council and other staff of the university, they inspected a 14-kilometre squared land at Jinkpah, near Wa and a 36 unit-office block at Sombo, a suburb of Wa released to the universities.

Dr Wemah indicated that if things went as planned, the Region's campus of the University would be opened next academic year.