University Of Ghana UG Legon Colleges
COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES
The College of Health Sciences is constituted by seven Schools which are of the status of
Faculty, and one research institute. These are:
MEDICAL SCHOOL: Anaesthetics, Anatomy, Medical Biochemistry, Centre for Tropical
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Chemical Pathology, Child Health, Community
Health, Haematology, Medicine and Therapeutics, Microbiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Psychiatry, Radiology, Surgery.
DENTAL SCHOOL: Biomaterial Science; Restorative Dentistry; Paedodontics and
Orthodontics; Preventive Dentistry; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Oral Pathology and Oral
Medicine;
SCHOOL OF ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES: Medical Laboratory Sciences, Radiography
and Physiotheraphy.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Health Policy, Planning & Management; Biostatistics,
Epidemiology & Disease Control; Population, Family & Reproductive Health; Social &
Behavourial Science; Biological, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences
NOGUCHI MEMORIAL INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH: An institute for
research into medical and paramedical issues. Nutrition, Clinical Pathology, Immunology,
Parasitology, Virology, Electron Microscopy, Bacteriology, Animal Experimentation.
SCHOOL OF NURSING: Community Health, Maternal & Child Health, Mental Health, Adult
Health, Research, Education and Administration.
SCHOOL OF PHARMACY: The newest member of the College, the School is organized into
the following Departments: Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmaceutics and Microbiology,
Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy Practice and
Clinical Pharmacy
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
The College is constituted by two Schools and three Research Institutions.
SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE: Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Agricultural
Extension, Animal Science, Crop Science, Home Science and Soil Science.
LEGON AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTRE: Research into animal breeding, animal
nutrition, veterinary medicine, pasture improvement and the development of dairy cattle by
crossbreeding.
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KPONG AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTRE: Researches into crops and merchandized
irrigation agriculture on blank soils (vertisols) of the Accra plains.
KADE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTRE: Researches into production of forest zone
crops with special interest in agroeconomy of Perennial crop plants.
SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE: The School will maintain cutting edge excellence
in basic and applied biomedical and veterinary sciences research with emphasis on control of
animal diseases and the control of such diseases with the potential for transmission to humans.
FACULTIES
ARTS: Classics, English, Language Centre, Linguistics, Modern Languages (Arabic, French,
Russian, Spanish, Swahili), Mathematics, Philosophy, Study of Religions and The School of
Performing Arts (with Departments of Dance Studies, Music and Theatre Arts).
LAW: (non-departmentalized).
SCIENCE: Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Fisheries and Oceanography,
Geography & Resource Development, Geology, Mathematics, Nutrition and Food Science,
Psychology, Physics, Statistics and Zoology.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Archaeology, Economics, Geography and Resource Development, History,
Information Studies, Mathematics, Political Science, Psychology, Statistics, Sociology and
Social Work.
BUSINESS SCHOOL: Accounting, Public Administration & Health Service Management,
Marketing & Consumer Management, Banking & Finance, Organization & Human Resource
Management and Management Information Systems.
ENGINEERING SCIENCES: Agricultural, Biomedical, Food Process, Materials Science and
Engineering (Ceramics Option) and Computer Engineering.
RESEARCH INSTITUTES AND SCHOOLS
THE BUSINESS SCHOOL: The Business School was originally established by statutory
instrument in January 1960, as the College of Administration, at Achimota. It had begun as the
Department of Commerce in the then Kumasi College of Technology (now Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology); this Department was transferred to the Western
Compound of Achimota to form the nucleus of the College of Administration. The main idea
behind the transfer was that the new College would serve as a comprehensive institution, which
would provide various training programmes required to meet the needs of administrative and
accounting personnel in the rapidly expanding economy of Ghana. The move was also intended
to give the College scope for expansion within the relatively more mature business environment
of Accra and to afford both Faculty and students opportunities for close contact with the business
community. The College was responsible for organizing courses in Accounting, Secretaryship,
Central and Local Government Administration and Hospital Administration. These courses led
to the examination of United Kingdom statutory bodies: The Association of Certified and
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Corporate Accountants (ACCA), The Chartered Institute of Secretaries (CIS), The Corporation
of Certified Secretaries (CCS), The Clerical Examinations for Local Government Officers
(NALGO) and Institute of Hospital Administration. Though useful, the courses were not fully
satisfactory because they were foreign oriented, dealing mainly in United Kingdom institutions
and were not properly adapted to experience and practice in Ghana. It was, therefore decided in
1961 to reshape them and make them more relevant to national needs. In order to give the study
of Administration its proper place in the country‘s higher education system, and to attract the
best candidates, it was decided that courses run by the College should be at University level. It
was thus agreed that the College of Administration should be associated with the University of
Ghana and its main courses developed to the University‘s degree standard. Hence in October
1962, the College of Administration was integrated into the University of Ghana. The College
was given a status comparable to that of a faculty in the University and was redesignated School
of Administration. Its students were gradually moved from Achimota to the University‘s
students‘ Halls of Residence at Legon, and on February 18, 1967, the new building of the
School, centrally situated at Legon, was opened. In 2004, the name was once again changed to
the Business School. The School is governed by the Statutes of the University and controlled by
the University Council and the Academic Board. It does, however, continue to receive
earmarked grants direct from Government, and within the framework of general University-wide
policy, maintains a good degree of freedom to develop its own associations and schemes. It has a
mandate to organize courses and seminars from time to time either on its own or in association
with other bodies, to satisfy identified areas of need in the fields of Business and Public
Administration.
THE MEDICAL SCHOOL: established in 1964 by command of government under the
Ministry of Health as an autonomous institution in special relationship with the University of
Ghana. The primary objectives of the Ghana Medical School (as it was then known) was to train:
i. A broad-based generalist practitioner with sufficient grounding for subsequent
specialization.
ii. a practitioner functionally attuned to and therefore responding aptly to the needs and
exigencies of his/her environment. He/she shall attain internationally accepted standard.
iii. a practitioner who has participated in health care delivery while under instruction and
therefore cognisant of the problems of delivery of health care in the rural/urban settings.
iv. an individual who accepts responsibility for self-learning and therefore readily responsible
to the call for continuing medical education; and
v. an advocate for community health needs.
Arrangements to integrate the medical school formally into the University of Ghana were
concluded in 1969 in time to permit the award of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) of the University of Ghana (Legon) to the first class of 39
medical graduates to be trained in Ghana. The Ghana Medical School thus became the
University of Ghana Medical School in October 1969. However, it still retains its financial
autonomy and has its own Executive Council and School Board. These arrangements have been
given legal backing under the provisions of Schedule D of the Statutes of the University. The
curriculum of the School has been revised on three occasions (1972, 1980 and 1991) to further
enhance the training of doctors. Currently, the curriculum allows for courses leading to the
award of a BSc degree in Medical Science in addition to the MB ChB professional degree. The
Medical School is the largest single faculty of the university, presently.
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THE DENTAL SCHOOL: The University of Ghana Dental School was established in 1995,
even though basic dental training of dentist locally had been in place as far back as 1972.
Before then the clinical training had been pursued outside the country, in the Universities of
Manchester, London and Lagos. Candidates who completed their dental training in these
universities were awarded University of Ghana degrees. At its establishment, the Academic
Board decided that the new Dental School should operate under the umbrella of the University
of Ghana Medical School until such time that it can stand on its own feet. The arrangement
also provided for a coordinator of Dental Programmes, and later on updated to Vice Dean of
Dental Studies of the Dental School, who will function under the Dean of the Medical School.
SCHOOL OF ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES: The Ministry of Health, in 1998, initiated the
establishment of a School of Allied Health Sciences to produce medical and dental technical
graduates through the Medical School. Programmes for this school included physiotherapy,
medical laboratory science, radiography and therapy radiography. The Academic Board and the
University Council approved this proposal in 1999. In the year 2001, this School came into
being as one of the constituent schools of the newly established (in 2000) College of Health
Sciences. An earlier Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology also sponsored by the Ministry
of Health in 1994 was phased out, with the birth of the School of Allied Health Sciences.
SCHOOL OF NURSING: The School was formerly a Department in the Faculties of Science
and Social Studies. In 2003 the University Council approved its conversion into a School. It is
currently one of the constituents of the College of Health Sciences. The School has a strong link
with the University of Alberta in the running of its MPhil programme. It offers undergraduate
and graduate programmes in Community Health Nursing, Maternal & Child Nursing, Mental
Health Nursing, Adult Health Nursing and Research, Education & Administration.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: The School of Public Health was established in October,
1994, through collaboration between the Ministry of Health in Ghana and the University of
Ghana, primarily to train public health workers to enable them perform effectively at District,
Regional and National levels within governmental, quasi-governmental, non-governmental and
private organizations. The programmes are also available to non-health personnel whose
activities have an impact on the environment and public health. Properly trained Public Health
personnel will be able to offer technical leadership in critical units such as Maternal and Child
Health/Family Planning, Environmental Diseases Control, Health Information, Training,
Research and Planning and in the running of specific disease control programmes such as AIDS,
Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Onchocerciasis Control Programmes. The philosophy of the School is
to operate as a “School without Walls” with semi-autonomous status, but with a close working
relationship with the existing Schools and Faculties of the University. It is one of three Public
Health Institutions in Africa that subscribe to the philosophy of school without walls meaning
that attempts are made to achieve an optimum mix of classroom and field work. The School
admitted its first batch of students for the MPH programme in October 1994. In addition to its
range of academic programmes, the School offers short certificate courses on specific health
issues. Effective January 1, 2000, the School of Public Health became one of the health-related
institutions grouped under the College of Health Sciences.
INSTITUTE OF AFRICAN STUDIES: Established in 1961, it conducts fundamental research
in areas of African Languages, history and culture, and runs interdisciplinary courses
leading to MPhil and PhD degrees in African Studies. The Institute also organizes introductory
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courses in African Studies for all Level 200 students in the undergraduate degree programme of
the University. These courses, which cover two semesters, are compulsory. A pass in African
Studies is required for the award of a bachelor‘s degree of the University. Orientation courses are
available for special admission students from other institutions and agencies. Interdisciplinary
seminars and symposia are organized regularly. There is a Visual Arts Section with cultural
exhibits for teaching and research. The Institute‘s library supplements the Africana collection of
the Balme Library. Attached to the Institute is the Ghana Dance Ensemble – a resident
professional dance company which was started in 1962 by the then Ghana Institute of Arts and
Culture to link the University of Ghana with the national theatre movement.
INSTITUTE OF ADULT EDUCATION: Established originally as the Department of Extra-
Mural Studies in 1948, the Institute provides university-based adult education through its
branches and workers’ colleges throughout the country. It provides both formal and non-formal
programmes. The formal programmes consist of Diploma, degree and Masters and Doctoral
degree courses in Adult Education and remedial courses for the West Africa Senior Secondary
School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), as well as a preparatory course for the University‘s
mature students selection examination. The non-formal programmes comprise community
education program-mmes in health, family life education, nutrition, civic education, community
initiative and adult literacy. The Institute is directly involved with the organisation of a People’s
Education Association to support its work. Public lectures, seminars and workshops form a vital
part of the Institute’s activities. The most popular and national of these is the Annual New Year
School which has been held regularly since 1948. The Institute also coordinates the University‘s
distance learning programme.
INSTITUTE OF STATISTICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH: Established
in 1966 as the Institute of Statistics. In addition to its original concern with problems related to
statistics, the Institute has expanded into the field of social and economic studies. The Institute
offers Certificate and Diploma courses in Statistics as well as a Master of Arts degree in
Development Studies.
NOGUCHI MEMORIAL INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH: The Institute was
established in 1979 in a building funded by the Government of Japan to serve as a monument in
memory of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, a Japanese medical scientist who died in Accra in May, 1928
while investigating yellow fever. The Institute provides a base for medical co-operation
programmes between Ghanaian and Japanese scientists, and a centre for conducting medical
research relevant to Ghana’s needs. Research is conducted into problems of communicable
diseases while graduate students are trained in medical research. Facilities at the Institute include
specialized laboratories and services in support of public programmes. From January 1, 2000,
the Institute became one of the health-related institutions grouped under the newly established
College of Health Sciences.
REGIONAL INSTITUTE FOR POPULATION STUDIES: Established jointly in 1972 by
the United Nations Organisation and the Government of Ghana, it promotes and strengthens
research and training in demography for students from English-speaking countries in Africa. The
Institute offers MA, MPhil and PhD degree courses. The Institute organizes seminars, workshops,
ad hoc courses of study and in-service training in Demography and related fields at the
request of governments and institutions mainly in English-speaking African countries. Given its
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regional and international character, a significant number of the Institute’s students come from
other African countries.
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES: Established in 1973 as the Institute of
Journalism and Mass Communication, the School offers programmes leading to the MA and
MPhil degrees in Communication Studies. It provides future journalists and media practitioners
with the theoretical understanding and the professional skills and techniques required in the mass
media.
SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS: Established in 1962 as the School of Music and Drama
under the Institute of African Studies, it comprises the Department of Dance Studies,
Department of Music and the Department of Theatre Arts. These three departments provide core
courses for diploma, bachelor‘s and post-graduate degrees in Music, Theatre Arts and Dance.
The School also runs a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree
programmes. Occasionally, the school organizes one-year certificate courses in Theatre Arts for
foreign students on special admission. Training programmes for teachers and schools, amateur
drama groups, choirmasters and singing groups are also available. The School has a Resident
Theatre Company called ‘Abibigromma’.
SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES: The School of Research and
Graduate Studies is responsible for graduate students and research. There is a separate
Handbook for Graduate Studies. The Office deals with all matters which have to do with
registration and records, official correspondence and welfare of graduate students. The Office
of the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies is headed by a Dean who is of professorial
status and appointed by the Academic Board. He/she is assisted by an Executive Secretary, a
Research Administrator and a team of administrative staff. The other important function of the
School is the Research Administration. The function includes Grant Applications and
Reporting, Contract Report (including Consultancy), Ethical Clearance, Registration,
Patenting, Commer-cialization of Intellectual Property and Management of External Funds.
ACCRA CITY CAMPUS (Formerly the External Degree Centre): The City Campus grew
out of the 1960 Commission on University Education in Ghana which recommended the
organization of courses leading to the degrees of the University of Ghana for persons who intend
to study for such degrees on part-time basis. It started as the External Degree Centre, established
by the University of Ghana during the 1963/64 academic session and charged with the
responsibility of offering on part-time basis courses in the Humanities available to full-time
students of the University of Ghana except, perhaps, the laboratory based courses. The
Academic Board subsequently decided to make the Institute of Adult Education the
implementing agency and the Accra Workers College as the venue. Two main categories of
persons were identified for the programme.
i. Persons who are normally qualified for university education but who, for various
reasons, prefer not to study as full-time students;
ii. Person who are considered “Mature” and capable of pursuing degree programmes but
who do not possess the requisite university entry qualifications. Applicants who fall
into this category are required to be at least 30 years of age at the time of submitting
application. They are also required to pass an examination conducted by the university
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which is intended to test intellectual capability and promise rather than knowledge of
particular subject.
The External Degree Centre offered courses leading to the BA and BSc (Administration)
degrees. The syllabuses and other requirements for the degrees are the same as those used by the
University of Ghana for full-time students except that study at the Centre is part-time/off-campus
and duration extends over a period of not less than eight semesters and not exceeding 12
semesters.
The External Degree programme was originally conceived as a university programme in which
all departments in the Faculties of Arts, Social Studies, Law and Administration would
participate. The courses offered at the Degree Centre are taught by lecturers from the faculties of
the University who are recruited through their Heads of Department. This arrangement was
adopted to ensure that lecturers who teach the courses on campus are the same lecturers who
teach at the External Degree Centre. Part-time students at the External Degree Centre were,
therefore, not to be disadvantaged vis-à-vis their full-time colleagues since both groups of
students wrote the same examination. The arrangement thus guaranteed parity of esteem
between the on-campus and off-campus programmes.
In 2002, the Academic Board of the University approved an arrangement to transform the
External Degree Centre into the Accra City Campus of the University of Ghana, to offer parttime
degree programmes in Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science in Administration
(BSc Admin). Admission is on fee-paying basis and students are free to subscribe to
programmes/subjects of their choice. Time-tabling is made flexible so as to accommodate the
needs of workers. Entry requirements remain the same as for admission to the main University.
CENTRES OF RESEARCH/LEARNING
REGIONAL TRAINING CENTRE FOR ARCHIVISTS: Since 1974, the University has
hosted the Centre within the Department of Library and Archival Studies. It offers a sub-degree
Diploma course in Archives Administration for anglophone countries in Africa as well as a
Graduate programme in Archival Studies. In the 2000-2001 academic year, a Bachelor ‗s degree
programme in Library, Archives and Information Studies was added to its range of academic
programmes. The Department of Library and Archival Studies has assumed a new name: The
Department of Information Studies, a move aimed at bringing the name of the department to fall
in line with the new focus of its work.
LANGUAGE CENTRE: The Language Centre was founded in 1970 as a Centre for research in
Language use in Ghana, having the status of a department in the Faculty of Arts. For the first ten
years of its existence, it was supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which funded
the building it occupies. It later received Ford Foundation support, especially for staff
development. The British Council supplied its Language Laboratory in 1980 and has provided
small sums at various times. The focus of the Centre is on research and teaching related to the
improvement of performance in the languages used in Ghana as vectors of education, culture and
community interaction – English, the official language, and various Ghanaian languages.
CENTRE FOR TROPICAL CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS:
The Centre for Tropical Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics was established in the University
of Ghana Medical School in 1982 with a grant from the UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special
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Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR). The grant was to increase
research and training capabilities in Clinical Pharmacology, especially pharmacokinetics of
antimalarial, antischistosomal and antifilarial drugs. The grant period was from 1982-1986. The
Centre has the status of a department in the Medical School. The principal activities of the
Centre are directed towards achieving the institutional objectives of the University of Ghana
Medical School.
LEGON CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (LECIA): The Legon Centre for
International Affairs, LECIA, was established by the University of Ghana in December, 1989.
Its central purposes are:
i. the inter-disciplinary postgraduate academic training for qualified applicants and
Foreign Service personnel;
ii. the organisation of seminars, workshops, and short courses on specified
subjects of current international interest;
iii. research and publication in the areas of International Affairs, International
Law and Practice.
The Centre runs a 12-month course in International Affairs leading to the award of an MA
degree in accordance with the existing University of Ghana Regulations.
THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE: The International
Centre for African Music and Dance was established at the University of Ghana in the
1992-93 academic year to serve as a focus for the development of materials and programmes in
African Music and Dance that meet the needs of scholars, research students and creative artists.
It is intended:
i. to provide a forum for international meetings, conferences, seminars,
workshops and special events in African music and dance;
ii. to serve as an Archival Documentation and study centre for African Music and Dance;
iii. to promote and coordinate research, creative and development projects in
music and dance;
iv. to prepare and publish monographs, source materials, bibliographies and an
International Journal of African Music and Dance, and to serve as a clearing house for
information on events, artists, scholars and institutions concerned with the study and
promotion of African music and dance.
The Centre operates as a unit within the School of Performing Arts which offers diploma and
degree courses of the University of Ghana in music, dance and drama. In addition to
participation in the Centre’s programmes, visiting scholars and students affiliated to the Centre
will be able to avail themselves of the classes and private lessons in African music and dance
given by the traditional musicians and dance instructors of the School as well as the facilities of
the reference library of the Institute of African Studies which is adjacent to the School of
Performing Arts and which has a valuable collection of Africana. The Centre is governed by an
International Advisory Board consisting of three ex-officio members and twelve ordinary
members, six of whom represent the major sub-regions of Africa, while the remaining six
represent institutions and scholars in Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America and the
Caribbean. The Centre has three categories of membership:
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i. Associate Membership, offered to directors of cooperating institutions, scholars in
ethnomusicology, music education, dance ethnology or related fields who have good track
record of research and publications, and creative artists who have distinguished themselves
in some area of African performing arts.
ii. Ordinary Membership, open to individuals through journal subscription, and
iii. Corporate Membership, offered to music and dance organizations and institutions with
manifest interest in African music and dance.
The programmes of the Centre take into account the need for developing materials and resources
that will make it a conference and study centre, a base for the dissemination of knowledge and
materials about African music and dance as well as a place for organizing short term training
programmes, including management training seminars in culture and development with
particular reference to African music and dance. To enable scholars and creative artists from
other African countries to contribute to this programme or use the facilities of the Centre for
research and writing or presentations, provision has also been made for a few visiting Fellowships.
Other scholars and artists coming on their own can register with the University of Ghana
as affiliates or associates of the Centre.
OTHER RESEARCH UNITS AND FACILITIES
VOLTA BASIN RESEARCH PROJECT: The Volta basin refers to the approximately
400,000 sq. km drained by River Volta and its tributaries in the West African countries, Cote
d‘Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, and Ghana where the basin makes up about 70 percent of
the mainland. The Volta Basin Research Project (VBRP) was established by the University of
Ghana in 1963 to carry out, through a multi-disciplinary methodology, research into the positive
and negative changes within the Volta basin, following the damming of river Volta at Akosombo
and, subsequently, downstream at Akuse, and the consequent creation of artificial lakes behind
the dams. As with many major river basin development projects, it was deemed imperative to
conduct pre-impoundment studies on what would be lost irretrievably after the damming,
scientifically monitor and appraise continuously the expected multi-faceted social and economic
impacts, and formulate measures against the many adverse effects that such a major
environmental disruption was bound to cause nationally and internationally. The five major areas
identified for research were fisheries agriculture, hydrobiology, public health, socio-economic
development, and archaeology. Traditionally research work is vested in full-time Research
Fellows who, also, partly teach in the Departments to which they, together with their
Technicians, are attached. Through this arrangement, the VBRP has generated substantial
scientific information about the Volta basin, and contributed significantly towards its socioeconomic
development by discovering solutions for problems associated with the damming.
LEGON SEISMOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY: The Ghana Geological Survey Department
has installed seismological equipment in the University’s Department of Geology as part of a
Telemetric Seismograph Network. The main station at Legon is served by a number of smaller
stations located in the south-eastern part of Ghana (Tema, Shai Hills, Akosombo, Koforidua,
Kukurantumi, Weija and Winneba) which transmit signals by radio waves. The network
monitors seismic activities in the country.
LEGON BOTANICAL GARDENS: The Legon Botanical Gardens covering an area of
approximately 25 hectares supports the scientific research of the Department of Botany. It
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contains plant species of the tropics and semi-tropics, including a large collection of palms from
various tropical areas. In addition to the sale of plants and wreaths, landscaping and horticultural
services, there are facilities in the gardens for picnics by individuals, families and social groups.
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTRES: There are three Agricultural Research Centres;
at Legon (about 12 kilometres outside the main campus), Kpong on the Accra plains (about 90
kilometres north-east of Legon), and Kade in the Forest Zone, in the Eastern Region
(approximately 175 kilometres from Legon), under the supervision of the Institute of
Agricultural Research of the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences. Apart from
research, the Centres provide technical and practical experience for students of agriculture, and
extension and training facilities for farmers and other interested persons.
° Legon Agricultural Research Centre: The Centre at Legon (established in 1953)
covers an area of about 740 hectares. Its main research activities are in animal breeding,
animal nutrition, veterinary medicine, pasture improvement and the development of
dairy cattle by crossbreeding.
° Kpong Agricultural Research Centre: The Kpong Centre (established in 1954) covers
an area of about 420 hectares. It conducts research mainly into rice, sugar cane,
cowpea, soya bean, sorghum and beef cattle. The Station also conducts research on
mechanized irrigation agriculture on black soils (vertisols) of the Accra Plains.
° Kade Agricultural Research Centre: The Centre at Kade (established in 1957) covers
an area of 99.3 hectares. It is mainly concerned with research into production of forest
zone crops such as citrus, plantain, cocoyam, oil palm and rubber, with a special
interest in agronomy of perennial crop plants.
LIBRARY FACILITIES: The University library system consists of the main library, the
Balme Library and libraries of Schools, Colleges and Institutes as well as Departmental and Hall
libraries. Together they form the library facilities that support teaching, learning and research in
the University. Non-members of the University are allowed use of these volumes but do not
have borrowing rights. The University library system has been automated using the Innopac
Millennium Library Management System. Resources of the Library System may be searched
online at http://library.ug.edu.gh. Available also are online academic databases covering all the
subject disciplines.
CENTRE FOR REMOTE SENSING & GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SERVICES
(CERSGIS): The Centre for Remote Sensing & Geographic Information Services was
established in 1993 as the Remote Sensing Applications Unit ; a self-accounting Unit in the
Department of Geography and Resource Development with a mandate to provide Remote
Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services and to assist research in land and
water resources appraisal and monitoring, including rural and urban land use patterns and trends.
It also supports the teaching programmes of the environmental and resource based departments,
namely Geography and Resource Development, Geology, Botany, Agriculture and Physics. The
establishment of the Unit became necessary because of the establishment of a remote sensing
applications laboratory and an ecological laboratory in the Department of Geography and
Resource Development. The establishment of the laboratories was made possible through the
generous assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Danish
Government through the Institute of Geography under a linkage arrangement between the
Universities of Ghana and Copenhagen (Denmark). The Ecological laboratory is equipped with
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modern facilities to undertake a large range of analysis including plant materials, soil conditions,
water and sediments. The combination of a remote sensing laboratory and an ecological
laboratory provides ideal facilities for multi-disciplinary approaches to resource and
environmental problems which are bound to have far reaching implications not only for the
quality and relevance of teaching and research in the University but also for the quest for the
sustainable development of the resources of Ghana.
ECOLOGY LABORATORY CENTRE: The Ecology Laboratory at the University of
Ghana, Legon was initiated in 1993 through DANIDA financial ENRECA – project. During
the first project period, 1993–95, the Ecology Laboratory was equipped with instruments for
conducting chemical and physical analysis on soil, water and plant samples. The second
project period, 1997–9 was intended to support teaching and interdisciplinary research
programmes on nutrient cycling, ecology and biodiversity. This is reflected in the composition
of membership of the Centre‘s Advisory Board and Technical Committee, to represent a wide
range of Departments. The Centre is aimed, among others, at supporting interdisciplinary
research activities, to facilitate necessary field research for researchers and PhD students; to
encourage exchange of scientists and technicians between Ghana and Denmark; to conduct
training courses on topics of interest to activities of Ecology Laboratory Centre and to
organize seminars and workshops. The Ecology Laboratory Centre is located in the building
housing the Ecology Laboratory at the Department of Geography and Resource Development
CENTRE FOR SOCIAL POLICY STUDIES: The Centre for Social Policy Studies was
established in December, 1997 primarily to develop and improve social welfare services in
Ghana. It is intended to fill a need for social welfare policy research in Ghana. The challenge
is to provide a forum that can play a co-ordinating role for the establishment of social
development network and at the same time to involve the general public in the process of
social welfare policy development. The Centre aims at creating greater awareness on social
welfare policy issues in Ghana and promoting participatory development of policies and social
service programmes of action. In this respect, the Centre focuses on interdisciplinary projects
that emerge from its own programmes as well as those of cognate departments, agencies,
organisations and institutions. Specifically, policy areas to be covered through the Centre‘s
programmes and activities are: the development of the child; poverty, nutrition and household
dynamics; family welfare; health; gender issues; ageing; community participation/community
welfare; labour issues; environmental issues; population and development. Because of its
coordinating role, the Centre serves as a Documentation and Information centre on social
welfare policy for students, researchers, policy makers and professionals in the social service
field. The centre has a specialised library of reference materials not available elsewhere on
campus and produces a Social Policy handbook which covers a wide range of policy issues,
carrying both information and programme experiences.
CENTRE FOR GENDER STUDIES AND ADVOCACY (CEGENSA)
Established in 2005 and launched in 2006, the centre’s key role is to ensure that gender issues
become legitimate business of the university. This role includes academic, policy and service
functions over 7 core areas: Academic Planning and curriculum development; Research &
Documentation; The provision of a resource centre; The provision of a Sexual Abuse
counseling centre; Policy planning; Developing mentoring programmes particularly for junior
female faculty and students; Outreach and extension work within the university as well as the
wider society.
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CENTRE FOR MIGRATION STUDIES
The Centre for Migration Studies was formally established in October 2006 at the University
of Ghana to undertake research, teaching, training, capacity building, policy assessment,
development and dissemination in the area of migration. Its mission is to serve as a leading
centre for the study of contemporary and future migration dynamics within and outside Ghana
through a strategic and integrated approach.