The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast, and was originally an affiliate college of the University of London, which supervised its academic programmes and awarded degrees. It gained full university status in 1961, and now has nearly 40,000 students.
The original emphasis was on the liberal arts, social sciences, basic science, agriculture, and medicine, but (partly as the result of a national educational reform programme) the curriculum was expanded to provide more technology-based and vocational courses and postgraduate training.
The university is mainly based at Legon, about 12 kilometres northeast of the centre of Accra. The medical school is in Korle Bu, with a teaching hospital and secondary campus in the city of Accra. It also has a graduate school of nuclear and allied sciences at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, making it one of the few universities on the Africa continent offering programmes in nuclear physics and nuclear engineering.
The formation of the West African Commission of the Asquith Commission on Higher Education in the Colonies under the chairmanship of Rt. Hon. Walter Elliot was the birth of this notable institution in 1948. The commission recommended the setting up of university colleges in association with the University of London, thus the University College of the Gold Coast was founded by Ordinance on 11 August 1948 for the purpose of providing for and promoting university education, learning and research. This was made possible by the rejection of the first recommendation which stated that only one university college was feasible for the whole of British West Africa, which would be located in Nigeria by the people of Gold Coast led by the scholar and politician, the late Dr. J. B. Danquah.
The library is located on the main campus of the University.
There are four faculties, one school and one research institute under this college.
School of Medicine and Dentistry
School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences
School of Nursing Located on the Legon campus though its students receive practical training at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
School of Pharmacy
Starting from the 2014/2015 Academic year, the University of Ghana adopted the collegiate system and thus categorised all schools and departments under four colleges, which are:
College of Basic and Applied Sciences
College of Humanities
College of Education
College of Health Sciences
There are six faculties outside the above colleges.
Faculty of Arts British
Faculty of Social Studies
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Law The Faculty of Law was first established as a department of the Faculty of Social Studies in the 1958/59 academic year and became a full-fledged faculty in the 1960/61 academic year. From the 2012/2013 academic year, the university will admit fresh SHS students into the LLB first-degree programme but will retain the post-first degree programme. Thus the university will have two entry means to the Faculty of Law.
Faculty of Engineering Sciences
Research and learning Centres
Centre of Excellence for Global Environmental Change Research.
Centre for Social Policy Analysis
Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System
Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy
Centre for Migration
International Centre for African Music and Dance
Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Centre for Biotechnology Research
Centre for African Wetlands
Language Centre
West African Centre for Crop Improvement
West African Centre for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens
The United Nations University for Natural Resources in Africa
Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy(CEGENSA)
Regional Training Centre for Archivists
Ecological laboratory
Legon Botanical Gardens
The Ghana Herbarium
Centre for African Foods
Centre for West African foods
Centre for International foods
Centre for Ghana foods
African Regional centre for training in postgraduate insect science
Kade Agricultural Research Station or Center is an agricultural research center located at Kade, in the Eastern Region of Ghana is part of the University of Ghana Centers of Research and Learning. It is one of the three agricultural research centers of Ghana's university. The center at Kade was established in the year 1957. It covers an area of 99.3 hectares and it is mainly concerned with research into production of forest zone crops such as citrus, plantain, cocoyam, oil palm and rubber, with a special interest in agronomy of perennial crop plants.
The university has appeared in several films and television advertisements. The television series Sun City has a lot of scenes of the university. The name of the university has also been referenced in the lyrics of artists in Ghana, including Sarkodie's "Legon Girls", Buk Bak's "Klu blofo", Kwadei's "Wutatami" and Okordii's "Four years in Legon".
The university has these facilities in the various regions where it runs a variety of programmes, including degree courses. Awudome College has residential facilities that enable short courses over weekends and other durations to be run there.
Accra Workers’ College, (now Accra City campus) Accra
Awudome Residential Workers’ College, Tsito
Bolgatanga Workers’ College, Bolgatanga
Cape Coast Workers’ College, Cape Coast
Ho Workers’ College, Ho
Koforidua Workers’ College, Koforidua
Kumasi Workers’ College, Kumasi
Takoradi Workers’ College, Sekondi-Takoradi
Tamale Workers’ College, Tamale
Tema Workers’ College, Tema
Sunyani Workers’ College, Sunyani
Wa Workers’ College, Wa
Commonwealth Hall
Legon Hall
Mensah Sarbah Hall
Volta Hall
Akuafo Hall
Jubilee Hall
The university has eight residence halls of which were commissioned in 2011. They are:
Alexander Kwapong Hall, one of the newly created halls named after Professor Alexander Kwapong a former Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of State.
Jean Nelson Hall, another of the newly created halls, it was named after the first Ghanaian Vice-Chancellor, Jean Nelson Aka. It was inaugurated in July. Its emblem shows a candle, a book and a pen to symbolize perseverance. It was designed by a final year Physics-Computer Science major student, Raymond Sung-Seh Harrison. The motto of the hall, "Lux In Tenebris" which is Latin for "Light In Darkness" was suggested by Raymond's mate at the time, a lady by the name Muna Twerefour". The emblem was officially adopted on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.
Hilla Limann Hall, the first of the University of Ghana Enterprise Limited (UGEL) Hostels to be completed. It was inaugurated in July 2010 during which the Vice-Chancellor announced the decision to name it after Hilla Limann, a former President of the Republic of Ghana. Senior Members of the University may be assigned as Fellows of the Hall by the Vice Chancellor, Students assigned/affiliated to the Hall form the Junior members. The Head of Hall, Senior Tutor and fellow tutors as a body helps with the governing of the Hall.
Elizabeth Sey Hall, the second of the newer halls built by University of Ghana Enterprise Limited (UGEL) Hostels to be completed. It was inaugurated in July 2010 and was named after the first female graduate of the university, Elizabeth Frances Baaba Sey.
Africa Union Hall, formerly called Pentagon built by SSNIT
James Topp Nelson Yankah Hall, formerly known as TF Hostel.
Bani Hall, initially a private hostel which was later turned into a hall after the tenancy agreement with the University had elapsed.
Evandy Hall, formerly Evandy Hostel and this was turned into a hall after the tenancy agreement with the University elapsed and ownership transferred to University authorities,
Commonwealth Hall, it is the only male hall in the University.
There are three university hostels, the International Students' Hostels (I and II) and the Valco Trust Hostel. There are also private hostels, SSNIT Hostels (Ghana Hostels also known as Pentagon)
Bank, postal and other services
Ghana Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Barclays Bank,Cal Bank, HFC Bank and Ecobank Ghana have branches on the Legon campus. There is a branch of the national postal service (Ghana Post) on campus. Other banks have ATMs on campus.
Roads usage and user charges
From 1 February 2014, all vehicles entering the University of Ghana's main campus, and also those using the road passing through the Staff Village of the University were required to pay charges. This was heavily criticized by public and students and has been suspended.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas – investigative journalist with Insight TWI: The World Investigates, CEO of Tiger Eye Private Investigations, Executive Director of The Crusading Guide
Patrick Kwateng Acheampong – Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service (2005–09)
George Kingsley Acquah – Chief Justice of Ghana (2003–07).
Peter Ala Adjetey – former speaker of the Parliament of Ghana (2001–05).
Kwadwo Afari-Gyan – Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana
Mabel Agyemang née Banful (also Yamoa) - Appeal Court judge for the Commonwealth Secretariat, served in the judiciaries of the governments of Ghana, The Gambia and Swaziland.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo – President of Ghana (2017 to present)
K. Y. Amoako – former UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa.
Reverend Sam Korankye Ankrah – Apostle General of the Royalhouse Chapel International
John Atta Mills – former Law professor and Vice-President of Ghana (1997–2001), President of Ghana (2009-12).
George Ayittey – economist, author, and president of the Free Africa Foundation, professor at American University, associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
Elizabeth-Irene Baitie - award-winning writer of young adult fiction
Kwesi Botchwey – former law lecturer and finance minister of Ghana (1982–1995).
Mohamed Ibn Chambas – Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States.
Phyllis Christian – lawyer, CEO of ShawbellConsulting
Kwesi Dickson – former President of Methodist Church Ghana.
Kwabena Dufuor –former Finance Minister and former Governor of the Bank of Ghana.
Komla Dumor – television news presenter for the BBC World, presenting BBC World News and Africa Business Report. 2003 winner of Journalist of the Year award given by the Ghana Journalist Association.
Charles Odamtten Easmon – first Ghanaian surgeon and first Dean of University of Ghana Medical School.
Nana Effah-Apenteng – the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations between May 2000 and 2007.
Akin Euba - Nigerian composer, musicologist and pianist, Andrew Mellon Professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh.
Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng – cardiothoracic surgeon and former Chief Executive officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, first black African to perform heart transplant and established the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (2017-present)
Ken Kanda - diplomat, the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations.
Akua Kuenyehia – Vice-President, International Criminal Court (2003-Date)
John Dramani Mahama – Vice-President of Ghana (2009–12) and President of Ghana (2012 to 2017)
Vicki Miles-LaGrange (born 1953) – Chief U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma, first African-American woman to be U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, and the first African-American female elected to the Oklahoma Senate.
Tawiah Modibo Ocran – Judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana (2004–08).
David Ofori-Adjei – elected to the Council of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology of the International Union of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology in 2000.
Aaron Mike Oquaye – former Minister of Communication (2005–09) and Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya (2005 to present), Speaker of Parliament (2017-present)
Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes - Speaker of Parliament of Ghana (7 January 2005 – 6 January 2009).
Tsatsu Tsikata – former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and Law lecturer at the University of Ghana.
Georgina Theodora Wood – first female Chief Justice of Ghana (since 2007).
Kofi Awoonor – Ghanaian poet and author whose work combined the poetic traditions of his native Ewe people and contemporary and religious symbolism to depict Africa during decolonization
Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur – Vice President of the Republic of Ghana since 2012
Florence Dolphyne – first female Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana.
Joyce Rosalind Aryee - Minister of Education (1985-1987), Member of the National Defence Council (1993-2001), received Second Highest State Award, the Companion of the Order of the Volta in 2006.
