The Government has spent more than GH¢900 million under the "No Fees Stress" policy introduced to ease the financial burden on first-year students in public tertiary institutions, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has disclosed.
President John Dramani Mahama launched the policy on July 4, 2025, to cover academic user fees for all first-year students enrolled in public tertiary institutions across the country.
Mr Iddrisu made the disclosure during the commissioning of the Kenyasi Number Two campus of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in the Asutifi North District of the Ahafo Region.
The new campus, initiated by the Kenyasi Number Two Traditional Council and constructed by the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF), comprises a four-storey lecture block built at a cost of more than GH¢13.9 million.
The facility includes eight lecture halls, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laboratory, modern furniture and an elevator to improve accessibility.
To support the full operationalisation of the campus, the Education Minister announced that the Government had earmarked GH¢50 million for infrastructure development.
He also revealed that plans were far advanced to establish public universities in Ahafo and other regions that currently do not have one.
Mr Iddrisu assured that the establishment of those universities would be completed before the end of President Mahama's current term of office.
He commended the chiefs and people of the Ahafo Region for their support towards the project and urged students to take advantage of the new campus to pursue higher education and excel academically.
The General Manager of Newmont Ahafo Mine, Mr Alex Kofi Annin, described the new campus as a testament to what could be achieved through collaboration among communities, institutions and the private sector.
"The campus reflects what we can achieve when a community has a clear vision, when institutions collaborate and when development resources are invested with purpose," he said.
Mr Annin noted that the facility would provide students, particularly those from the Ahafo Region, with access to quality education in mining, engineering and technology similar to that offered at UMaT's main campus.
He added that over the past 20 years, Newmont had supported the education of more than 15,000 young people from its host communities through scholarship programmes funded by NADeF.
The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of NADeF, Professor Yaw Ofosu-Kusi, explained that the foundation is financed through a contribution of US$1 for every ounce of gold sold by the Newmont Ahafo Mine and one per cent of the company's annual pre-tax net profit.
He said the foundation's operations are guided by the principles of integrity, stewardship, participation, inclusiveness and transparency, with a strong emphasis on community ownership.
The Paramount Chief of the Kenyasi Number Two Traditional Area, Odeneho Dadeako Nsiah Ababio, commended the Government for supporting the establishment of the campus and appealed for additional investment in physical infrastructure at the OLA Girls Senior High School in the area.
