Old vandals to expand Commonwealth Hall with 4,000 bed capacity annex
The Old Vandals Association (OVA) has come to an agreement with the management of the University of Ghana to construct a 4,000-bed capacity extension for the Commonwealth Hall.
The $42 million projects would be completed by the end of 2021.
This is expected to help improve the university’s accommodation situation.
As far back as 2003, alumni of the Commonwealth hall initiated plans to expand the hall which currently houses less than 2000 students to cater for the increasing numbers.
In an interview ahead of the project’s sod-cutting ceremony today, national president of the Old Vandals Association, Isaac Sarpong, said after 16 years of talks with university management, the Association is set to make this a reality.
“We are going to do our best to add about 5,000 beds to the existing 1,300 that we have now. We believe in the interim, we will alleviate the accommodation challenges the hall faces. The entire project is going to cost us 42 million dollars. The experts tell us that, it will take us some two years for us to complete if it goes as planned. We expect the first batch of students to move in beginning the 2021/2022 academic year.“
The expansion would be built around the existing structure of the hall.
This 4,600-bed capacity annex would have a shopping mall, a gymnasium, a 1000-seater conference room, and reading rooms for students.
Accommodation challenges
The University of Ghana’s accommodation woes particularly came to light this year after less than 10% of newly admitted students struggled to secure residential facilities on campus.
The whopping majority were left to their fate, some forced into the hands of unknown persons who offered beds at exorbitant prices.
As the only all-male hall of the University of Ghana, the Commonwealth hall has been the hall of choice for many young men who gain admission to the school.
The JCR President of the hall, Prince Lumor, said the expansion would bring a lot of relief to students.