President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans for the construction of a massive 10,000-bed student hostel at the University of Ghana, a move aimed at addressing the persistent accommodation challenges and safety risks confronting tertiary students across the country.
The President made the announcement on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, during the opening of the 77th Annual New Year School and Conference in Accra. He described the project as a critical intervention to improve student welfare and strengthen Ghana’s tertiary education infrastructure.
According to President Mahama, the hostel project is the outcome of a bilateral agreement signed during a recent official visit to Singapore. The facility will be built using prefabricated construction technology, where major components are manufactured off-site and assembled on campus.
“This is going to be a prefabricated building. It means the building will be manufactured somewhere and then assembled on campus,” the President explained.
He disclosed that preparations for the project are already at an advanced stage, with machinery for the manufacturing factory currently being shipped from Singapore to Accra.
Addressing Student Safety and Housing Crisis
President Mahama framed the initiative as a direct response to the growing vulnerability of students forced to seek accommodation off-campus due to limited hostel space. He referenced a recent social media commentary by Professor Kweku Azar, which contrasted the relative ease of securing campus housing in earlier decades with the severe difficulties students face today.
The President warned that the accommodation deficit has become a serious safety concern, citing incidents where students commuting from distant private residences have fallen victim to road accidents and armed robberies.
“It is preferable that we have as many of our students living on campus, or as close to campus as possible,” he stated.
He added that the University of Ghana’s Vice-Chancellor has already been briefed on the project, describing the development as “good news” for the university community.
Part of the Reset Agenda and 2026 Vision
The 10,000-bed hostel forms part of President Mahama’s broader “Reset Agenda” and his vision for 2026, which he has described as a year of “acceleration and expansion.” In his 2026 New Year message, the President pledged to continue digitalising Ghana’s schools and to ensure world-class education for every child. The new hostel project, he noted, represents a tangible commitment to improving infrastructure in the tertiary education sector.
The 77th Annual New Year School and Conference, themed “Building the Ghana We Want, Together for Sustainable Development,” continues to bring together policymakers, academics, and development experts to deliberate on strategies for Ghana’s long-term growth and transformation.
