Businessman and former UT Bank CEO Prince Kofi Amoabeng has offered a glimpse into what he describes as a “golden era” of university life at the University of Ghana, recounting a time of comfort, scale, and quality that he believes many current students may struggle to imagine.
In a conversation with broadcaster Kafui Dey, Mr. Amoabeng shared nostalgic reflections on his time as a student, recalling the university’s sprawling layout, well-maintained facilities, and the standard of student amenities during his academic years.
“You go to university and you have to go on orientation because the university was so big, you needed to know your way around,” he said, describing the need for guided acclimatisation due to the vastness of the campus.
He recounted being housed at Okponglo during his first year, a location associated today with external housing options, but which in his time featured full-service student accommodations. “I was telling some young people I used to take the lift to Okponglo after class, and they were shocked,” he said. “They said, ‘What lift?’ I told them there used to be lifts working 24/7.”
Mr. Amoabeng’s memories extended to dining services, which he described as robust and generous. “You had three square meals with options,” he recalled. “You could say, ‘I don’t like yam and parasol, I want salad and chicken,’ or ‘I want banku,’ and you’d get it.”
His remarks have sparked discussion about how much has changed in Ghana’s tertiary education landscape—from infrastructure and service delivery to population growth and policy shifts. As one of the University of Ghana’s most prominent alumni, Mr. Amoabeng’s reflections serve as both a memory of a past era and a benchmark for what might be possible in future improvements to student welfare.
