The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) has honoured Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Vice-Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) by naming its Hostel B after him.
Speaking at a ceremony on Tuesday, November 19, the Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, Prof. Okoe Amartey, noted that the gesture is in recognition of Dr Prempeh’s influential role in facilitating the project and his contributions to the institution’s infrastructural development.
“This hostel project involves millions of cedis. And usually, at the barest minimum, this project will take nine months for approval,” Prof. Amartey said. “So myself and the Council Chairman went to see the then minister of education who we are naming the building after and within a week, his letter had gone [to the Finance Ministry] and in less than two weeks we got the approval for this project.”
He described Mr. Opoku Prempeh’s swift action as extraordinary, adding that, UPSA “will be ungrateful if we fail to appreciate what he did for us to get this project done.”
Chairman of the UPSA Council, Dr. Kofi Ohene Konadu, described Dr. Opoku Prempeh as a selfless leader whose actions have left an enduring legacy.
“This honour is something which all of us here should have in mind that whatever good thing you do will live [on] after you,” he added.
In his remarks, Dr. Opoku Prempeh expressed gratitude for the recognition, describing it as a testament to the transformative power of education and effective leadership.
He further commended the leadership of Prof. Okoe Amartey, alluding to the fact that it is second to none with respect to running of an educational institution.
“I was the Minister of Education. There were universities who took millions of dollars to do similar infrastructure but till date not one of it was built and the government is still paying for the debt. Thank you for the service you’ve rendered to UPSA and education in general in this country,” he stated.
The ceremony was attended by key stakeholders, faculty members, and students of UPSA.