Yawo Agbesi, Chief Executive Officer of University of Ghana Enterprise Limited (UGEL), says the company is not exploiting students and expects an agreement on hostel charges after further consultations with student representatives.
Agbesi was speaking on Monday, November 9, as protesting Legon students began a three-day demonstration against a proposed 26 per cent increase in hostel fees and called for the University of Ghana’s hostel management system to be scrapped.
The students are demanding that the proposed increase be withdrawn immediately. They have also accused university authorities of prioritising revenue over student welfare, arguing that higher accommodation costs, combined with poor conditions in some halls, could force students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to discontinue their studies.
Responding to those concerns, Agbesi said UGEL was reviewing the students’ grievances through discussions with their representatives rather than publicly debating the company’s operational difficulties.
“No, we are not in any way trying to exploit the students,” he said.
He said students remained central to the organisation’s work and that UGEL recognised their importance as its main stakeholders.
“We have a lot of respect for the students. We treat them as our constituents,” Agbesi said.
“So without them, definitely there will be no business; there will be no UGEL,” he added.
The University of Ghana withdrew the proposed 26 per cent increase to allow further consultations. Agbesi said UGEL management had continued discussions with both the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) over the proposed rates.
“In fact, as we speak, we have continued engaging the Graduate Students Association of Ghana and the SRC on these rates that we proposed initially and had discussions with them,” he said.
He added that the company would reassess the proposal with the student bodies before finalising the charges.
“We will still go back to the drawing board and have further discussions with them, and then we will come to an amicable solution and revert with our finalised fees,” Agbesi said.
His comments came after reports that the Rent Control Department had directed that affected students receive refunds by November 17.
Agbesi referred to a communique issued on Sunday by the University of Ghana’s Public Affairs Directorate, which said consultations on the matter were still in progress.
He said any decision on refunds would be taken after that process had concluded.
“At the end of the period, if any refunds would have to be made, they will be credited to the accounts of the students,” he added.
