There are tens of universities in Ghana that provide knowledge and skill based training and development to Ghanaian and international students.
There are some universities that are equipped with the capacity to train in specific skills, such as Engineering, Architecture, etc.
In this article, read on some universities in Ghana, the faculties and schools within them.
1. University for Development Studies – Tamale
The University for Development Studies (UDS) is Ghana’s first public University in the North. It was established by the Government of Ghana by PNDC Law 279 and gazette on 15th May, 1992 with aims:
1. To provide higher education to all persons suitably qualified and capable of benefiting from such education;
2. To undertake research and promote the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and its application to the needs and aspirations of the people of Ghana; and
3. To blend the academic world with that of the community in order to provide constructive interaction between the two for the total development of northern Ghana in particular and the country as a whole.
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The University began academic work in September 1993 with the admission of its first batch of forty (40) students into the Faculty of Agriculture (FoA).
Faculty/School
Faculty of Industrial Arts and Technology, Graduate School, School of Allied Health Sciences, School of Business, School of Dentistry, School of Economics, School of Veterinary Sciences.
School of Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Public Health.
2. Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration – Accra
The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) was established in 1961 as a joint Ghana Government /United Nations (UN) special fund project.
Originally named the Institute of Public Administration, it was set up as one of the key strategic institutions to develop the public administrative system, to provide civil servants with administrative and professional competence, and to plan and administer national, regional and local services.
In 1999/2000, GIMPA was among a group of 200 public sector organisations in Ghana earmarked under the World Bank-funded Public Sector Reform Programme to be taken off Government Subvention.
GIMPA was subsequently selected under the National Institutional Reform Programme to be transformed, notably to be self-financing. Subsequently, GIMPA was taken off Government Subvention in 2001.
Today, GIMPA has been transformed from a small public service institution to a comprehensive tertiary institution offering programmes in leadership, management, public and business administration, and technology.
Additionally, GIMPA has not only become a full-fledged university-level public institution, but also a top institute, recognised in Africa and around the world.
It offers excellent master’s and executive master’s degree programmes in business administration, public administration, development management, governance and leadership.
Faculty/School
Business School, Faculty Of Law, School Of Technology, School Of Public Service and Governance, School Of Research and Graduate Studies and School Of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
3. Valley View University – Accra
Valley View University was established in 1979 by the West African Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists.
In 1997 it was absorbed into the Adventist University system operated by the West Central African Division of Seventh-day Adventists headquartered in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Since 1983, the Adventist Accrediting Association (AAA) has been evaluating and reviewing the institution’s accreditation status and programs.
The University was affiliated with Griggs University, Silver Springs, Maryland, USA in 1997 to offer Theology and Religious Studies degrees
In 1997, the then National Accreditation Board, Ghana granted the university college accreditation to award her own degrees.
The Government of Ghana, in 2006, granted Valley View University a Presidential Charter to operate as an autonomous degree-granting institution.
This milestone makes Valley View University the first Chartered private University in Ghana.
The University serves undergraduate and graduate students from all over the world, as it admits qualified students regardless of their religious background.
However, provided such students accept the Christian principles and lifestyle which form the basis for the University’s operations.
Schools/Faculties
Faculty of Science, School of Business, Faculty of Arts & Social Science, School of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Graduate Studies and School of Theology & Missions.
4. University of Mines and Technology -Tarkwa
The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) started as the Tarkwa Technical Institute (TTI) on 3rd November, 1952.
It was officially commissioned by the Government of Ghana, more precisely by His Excellency the Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Charles Noble Arden Clarke, on 7th October, 1953.
In 1961, the Government, upon the advocacy of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, redefined the mission of TTI to incorporate the training of mining technicians and other middle level manpower for the country’s mining and related industries.
In 1961, it was reorganized to become the Tarkwa School of Mines (TSM) to train the required manpower for the mining and allied industries in Ghana.
In 1976, the Government took cognizance of the capability of TSM and its strategic location, Tarkwa, which is at the centre of mining activities in the country.
As this location gave TSM a special strength for mining education, TSM was affiliated to KNUST as a faculty of the University so as to enable TSM offer degree, diploma and certificate programmes in mining and related fields.
The name TSM was changed to KNUST School of Mines (KNUSTSM), Tarkwa. The KNUSTSM, Tarkwa and the Kumasi School of Mines were put together to become the Institute of Mining and Mineral Engineering (IMME).
In 1988, a University Rationalization Committee (URC), commissioned by the Ministry of Education, recommended the development of the School and its conversion into a University.
In 2000, the conversion of KNUSTSM into a University was again strongly recommended by Louis Berger Inc. in association with Kwame Asante and Associates in a report on partial commercialization of KNUST.
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In 2001, the Council of KNUST considered and approved proposals and recommendations of the Academic Board to merge the School of Mines at Kumasi and the School of Mines at Tarkwa into the Western University College of KNUST, Tarkwa.
On 3rd November, 2004, at exactly 11.35hrs GMT, the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana passed the bill on the University of Mines and Technology into an Act of Parliament.
On 11th November, 2004, the President of Ghana gave the Presidential Assent and on 12th November, 2004 the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa Act 2004 (Act 677) was gazetted and thus, became a law.
Faculty & School
Faculty of Mining and Minerals Technology, Faculty of Integrated Management Science, Faculty of Engineering.
Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Studies, School of Petroleum Studies, School of Railways and Infrastructure Development and School of Postgraduate Studies.
5. Central University – Tema
Central University is an educational Initiative of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC).
It has its origins in a short-term Pastoral training institute, which was started in October 1988 by ICGC.
It was later incorporated, in June 1991 under the name, Central Bible College. In 1993, the name was changed again to Central Christian College.
The College later upgraded its programmes to the baccalaureate level, and in line with national aspirations, expanded its programmes to include an integrated and practice oriented business school, named Central Business School.
To reflect its new status as a liberal arts tertiary institution, the university was re-christened Central University College in 1998.
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The National Accreditation Board has since accredited it as a tertiary Institution. Being among universities in Ghana, it is co-educational with equal access for male and female enrolment.
In January 2016, the University College received the long awaited Presidential Charter to become an autonomous and a fully-fledged university as Central University.
Faculties/Schools
Central Business School (CBS), School of Architecture and Design (SADe), School of Graduate Studies (SGS), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS).
Faculty of Law (FOL), School of Pharmacy (SOP), School of Engineering and Technology (SET), School of Medical Sciences (SMS) and the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SNM).
There are other universities in Ghana which have not been mentioned. This is not to say the ones listed here are better than the rest as bbcpulse.com does not rank higher educational institutions.