The Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye, has cut sod for the construction of a three-storey office complex for the West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA), at the Nyankpala campus of the university.
The project, funded by the World Bank and the Government of Ghana (WB/GoG), under the African Centre of Excellence Impact (ACE Impact) initiative, is expected to contribute to the delivery of excellence in academia and research, specifically the delivery of quality education in the area of irrigation and drainage engineering, water resources management, climate change, sustainable agriculture and food and nutrition security.
It is expected to be completed within 16 months by local construction firm, Larata Company Limited. When completed, the facility will house offices, laboratories, lecture halls, library, meeting and conference rooms.
At a short ceremony to handover the site to the contractor at the Nyankpala campus of UDS, the Vice-Chancellor praised the Government of Ghana for supporting UDS to benefit from such a project.
“Hosting a centre of excellence is a huge approval of UDS as a unique university of choice for learning and research. I encourage the contractor to ensure high quality standards in executing the project, befitting a centre of excellence,” he said.
Director of WACWISA and the Pro-Vice Chancellor of UDS, Prof. Felix K. Abagale, said the facility will position UDS to provide technical and advisory services in the Savannah zone when completed. He noted that the establishment of the facility would also help to train more of the youth to identify and exploit opportunities in irrigation, as part of efforts to revive the agriculture sector to boost food security in the country.
WACWISA was established in 2019 by the UDS as a semi-autonomous centre of excellence to undertake cutting-edge research and training in irrigation and drainage, water resources management, sustainable agriculture, climate change and food and nutrition security.
