Include private universities in national funding plans — Catholic University VC

The Vice-Chancellor of the Catholic University of Ghana (CUG), Prof. Matthew Glover Addo, has urged the government to establish a dedicated fund to support private universities, warning that current interventions for first-year students in public universities could undermine enrolment prospects in the private tertiary education sector.

He said the government must include private universities in its national tertiary education development agenda to ensure they receive the support needed to sustain operations and contribute to Ghana’s human resource development.

Addressing the university’s 25th Congregation and 38th Matriculation Ceremony at Fiapre, near Sunyani, on Saturday, October 24, 2026, Prof. Addo urged the government to adopt a comprehensive funding policy that benefits both public and private institutions.

“In particular, government-supported interventions for first-year students in public universities have implications for enrollment prospects of private tertiary institutions,” he said.

“We are therefore calling on governments to establish a fund that will support private tertiary education initiatives to help sustain struggling private universities and advance established ones,” he added.

Prof. Addo argued that a national strategy that prioritises public universities without adequately considering private institutions risks leaving a significant segment of Ghana’s tertiary education sector to depend largely on its own resources.

“We also call on governments to de-emphasise government tertiary education and to have a comprehensive program that is aimed at including all tertiary institutions in the developmental agenda of the nation,” he stated.

He said such an approach would enable private universities to contribute more effectively to efforts to expand access to higher education and produce the skilled professionals needed for national development.

Despite the increasingly competitive environment, Prof. Addo announced that CUG had recorded its highest-ever new student enrolment, exceeding its target for the 2025/2026 academic year.

The university targeted 3,200 new students but enrolled approximately 3,648 by the close of its August and January admission periods.

About 1,810 newly admitted students were matriculated at the ceremony, while 2,806 students graduated, comprising 668 postgraduate and 2,138 undergraduate students.

The Vice-Chancellor also announced the graduation of the university’s first PhD student, Dr Godfred Etse Klugah, describing the milestone as the beginning of a new chapter in its commitment to advanced scholarship, research and innovation.

Prof. Addo said CUG was expanding its academic programmes and infrastructure despite persistent financial and operational challenges.

The university has completed and commissioned a pavilion, acquired two 30-seater buses and two Toyota Hilux pickups, and purchased 150 computers to upgrade one of its laboratories.

Plans are also underway to construct a university clinic and campus police station, while preparations for a Faculty of Law are at an advanced stage. The faculty is expected to commence operations in January 2027, subject to regulatory approval.

However, Prof. Addo acknowledged that the university’s development needs exceeded its internally generated resources.

He cited shortages of qualified teaching staff, difficulties retaining highly skilled faculty due to salary disparities, and the need to improve research output as major challenges confronting the institution.

He appealed to the Catholic Church, corporate organisations, development partners, philanthropists and alumni to support the university’s infrastructure and academic development agenda.

He also called for assistance with student accommodation, lecture facilities, healthcare infrastructure, research facilities and other priority projects.