University of Legon, Ghana

University of Legon, Ghana

Ghana is one of Africa’s most popular countries next to Nigeria and South Africa and displays itself in many ways across the world. Ghana is also famous for investing a lot in its educational sector giving it some amazing universities and today we would be looking into one of these universities and quite a popular one for that matter. We are talking about the University of Ghana, Legon; we are going to take a deep dive into the annals of this university from its history to its structure, academic system and so much more.

I would properly dissect all there is to know about the University of Legon, Ghana The University of Ghana, Legon is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. It was founded in 1948, in the British colony of the Gold Coast, as the University College of the Gold Coast, and was originally an affiliate college of the University of London, which supervised its academic programs and awarded degrees just like it did for the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, then when Ghana got its independence in 1957, the college was renamed as the University College of Ghana.

Its name was changed again to the University of Ghana in 1961, when it gained full university status and since then the university has been increasing and expanding in its academic activities. The University of Ghana is situated on the West view of the Accra Legon hills and at the northeast of the centre of Accra,
now has various schools, institutions, colleges and departments and has over 40,000 registered students making it a very popular university.

History of the University

The formation of the West African Commission of the Asquith Commission on Higher Education in the Colonies under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Walter Elliot was the birth of this notable institution in 1948.
The commission recommended the setting up of university colleges in association with the University of London, thus the University College of the Gold Coast was founded by Ordinance on 11 August 1948 for the purpose of providing for and promoting university education, learning and research. This was made possible by the rejection of the first recommendation, which stated that only one university college was feasible for the whole of British West Africa, which would be located in Nigeria by the people of GoldCoast, so University College of Ibadan was established and the University College of Legon, Ghana was
formed.
In the book commissioned by the University of Ghana, Professor Francis Agbodeka (1998) found that "Two members of the Legislative Council – Dr J. B. Danquah and Prof. Christian Baeta on their own volition worked on the question of securing funds for the project. Most significant was F. M. Bourret
(1949), in almost a contemporaneous account, reported that the strong and united opinion expressed by Dr. Nanka-Bruce in a Radio Station Zoy address to the People of the Gold Coast in October 1947, “was argely instrumental in influencing the Secretary of State for the colonies” to finally give his consent in
1947, “for the establishment of a Gold Coast university college, these men were integral to the formation of this university.

Historically, in those days, long before the advent of television, entire communities and groups would listen to news, sports, and entertainment, broadcast from Radio Station Zoy, the BBC, and other stations on the short wave radio band, to a single radio set.

Significantly, the establishment of the University of Ghana, based on the Elliot Commission's Majority Report (of which Sir Arku Korsah of the Gold Coast was a member), was the culmination of immense work of several organizations, committees, institutions, and prominent individuals, at home and abroad.

Among some of the most prominent Ghanaians, members of organizations and civil society groups that campaigned for the establishment of the University of College of the Gold Coast/Ghana, included also Dr. Nanka-Bruce, Rev. Prof. C. G. Baeta, and Sir E. Asafu-Adjaye, Dr. J. B. Danquah, included. The
Asantehene, Otomfuo Nana Agyemang Prempeh, II, agreed to the proposition after the Elliot Commission proposed establishment of a university in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.

In sum, the Gold Coast citizenry, as a collective, successfully advocated for the establishment of the University College of the Gold Coast in association with the University of London, in 1948, after the Elliot Commission report, on which Sir Arku Korsah of the Gold Coast sat.

In 1961 the Government of Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah passed the University of Ghana Act, 1961(Act 79) to replace the then University College of Ghana. Through that act, the university attained sovereign university status and mandate to award its own degrees that was the beginning of a reign in the
university led by Ghanaians only without foreign intention.

University Aim

The original emphasis on establishing the University of Ghana was on the liberal arts, social sciences, law, basic science, agriculture, and medicine. However, as part of a national educational reform program, the university's curriculum was expanded to provide more technology-based and vocational
courses as well as postgraduate training.

The University of Ghana which is mainly based at Legon, about 12 kilometers northeast of the center of Accra has its medical school in the town called Korle-Bu  with a teaching hospital and a secondary/external campus in the city of Accra. It also has a graduate school of nuclear and Allied Sciences at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, making it one of the few universities on the African continent offering programs in nuclear physics and nuclear engineering making it one of the best universities in Africa[

In various rankings in the world, the University of Legon, Ghana has quite a high position, as it is one of the best schools in the entire West African region; it rivals the likes of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and University of Nigeria Nsukka. As I said before, the university is the pride and joy of most Ghanaian
and every one of them dreams of attending the excessively competitive and selective university.

When it comes to teaching, and educational resources, the school isn’t far behind some of the best universities in Africa, it is well equipped and well funded and heavily managed by the government. The University of Legon Ghana frequently compete in man teen s in Africa ranging from academic to sort
and decathlons and I am proud to say that they always come out on top in all these adversities

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Courses Available at the University of Ghana, Legon

COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY
 Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
 Bachelor of Dental Surgery
SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL AND ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES
 Bachelor of Science in Dietetics
 Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory
 Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy
 Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy
 Bachelor of Science in Radiography
SCHOOL OF NURSING & MIDWIFERY
 Bachelor of Science in Nursing
 Bachelor of Science in Midwifery
COLLEGE OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES
GROUPINGS
Group 1: Physical Sciences
 Physics, Chemistry, Geophysics
Group 2: Mathematical Sciences
 Mathematics, Statistics, Actuarial Science, Computer Science, Biomathematics, Physics
Group 3: Earth Sciences
 Geology, Applied Geology, Applied Geophysics
Group 4: Information Technology Group 5: Biological Sciences

 Animal Biology and Conservation Science, Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology, Nutrition, Food
Science, Plant and Environmental Biology, Marine Science, Fisheries Science, Psychology, Microbiology.
Group 6: Agriculture
 Animal Science, Crop Science, Soil Science, Agriculture Economics, Agribusiness, Agriculture Extension,
Post-Harvest Technology.
Group 7: Family and Consumer Science (Food and Clothing Option) Group 8: Family and Consumer
Science (Family and Child Studies Option) Group 9: Engineering Sciences Material Science and
Engineering, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Food Process Engineering, Agriculture
Engineering Group 10: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA BUSINESS SCHOOL
 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA SCHOOL OF LAW
 Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
SCHOOL OF ARTS – BACHELOR OF ARTS –AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS:
 Department of Religions
 Department of Philosophy and Classics
 Department of History
 Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies
SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES – BACHELOR OF ARTS –AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS:
 Department of English
 Department of French
 Department of Modern Languages
 Department of Linguistics
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES – BACHELOR OF ARTS –AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS:
 Department of Economics
 Department of Political Science
 Department of Sociology
 Department of Geography and Resource Development
 Department of Social Work
 Department of Psychology
SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS – BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS/BACHELOR OF ARTS –AVAILABLE IN THE
FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS:
 Department of Dance Studies
 Department of Theatre Arts
 Department of Music
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION STUDIES
 Bachelor of Arts in Information Studies
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP
 Bachelor of Arts in Education
 Bachelor of Science in Education
 Bachelor of Arts in Sports and Physical Culture Studies
SCHOOL OF CONTINUING AND DISTANCE EDUCATION
 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
 Bachelor of Arts – Available in the following Departments:

 Department of Economics
 Department of Political Science
 Department of Sociology
 Department of Psychology
 Department of Information Studies
 Department of Adult Education and Human Resource Studies
 Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (For professional nurses who already have a Diploma in Nursing from a
recognized Nursing Training College)