The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has assured the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) of the government’s support to address its infrastructure challenges, while throwing his weight behind the institution’s bid to become one of the universities accredited to run the new Bar Practice Programme for law graduates. Rt. Hon. Bagbin gave the assurance on Saturday when he delivered the keynote address at the 2nd Congregation of the School of Law and Special Graduation of the School of Graduate Studies at UBIDS in Wa.
Infrastructure Challenges
Addressing an audience that included the Chairman of the University Governing Council, Hon. Prof. Benjamin Kumbuor, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Emmanuel Kunchebe Derbile, government officials, faculty, graduands and their families, the Speaker said he was well aware of the challenges facing the university, including inadequate teaching facilities, student accommodation, office space, research infrastructure, roads and recreational facilities. He said the sight of uncompleted projects on the campus underscored the need for government intervention, and noted that the university also required a perimeter wall to secure it against encroachment.
Mr. Bagbin said government’s ongoing drive to complete stalled public tertiary education projects would improve the university’s physical infrastructure within the next two years. He also referenced a recent announcement by the Minister for Education on the release of seed money for financially distressed public universities, describing it as good news for UBIDS. He recalled that UBIDS had struggled with underfunding since its creation as a spin-off from the University for Development Studies (UDS), saying the institution had survived largely through what he described as its own resilience.
Support for New Schools and a Teaching Hospital
The Speaker said he supported UBIDS’ plans to establish new academic units, including Schools of Law, Medical Sciences, Tourism and Hospitality, and Property Sciences, as well as Faculties of Health Sciences, Agriculture and Food Processing, and Extraction Sciences.
On the proposed Medical School, Mr. Bagbin said he had been working to upgrade the Upper West Regional Hospital to Teaching Hospital status, including facilitating the installation of six new dialysis machines at the facility this year with support from Members of Parliament from the region.
He also disclosed that he had helped initiate a partnership between UBIDS and the Medical University of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates, aimed at supporting the establishment of a medical school to train health personnel for the Upper West Region and beyond. He said he led a delegation — including the President of the Medical and Dental Council, Dr. Divine Ndondi Banyubala, the Chairman of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Board, Hon. Prof. Titus Beyuo (MP for Lambussie), and the Provost of the University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-Bu — to Ajman to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the initiative.
Backing for UBIDS Law School Under New Legal Education Reforms
Speaking directly to the graduating law students, the Speaker of the House noted that Parliament passed the Legal Education Reform Act, 2026 (Act 1170) in April, ending the Ghana School of Law’s monopoly on training professional lawyers in the country. Under the new law, accredited universities will be permitted to run a one-year Bar Practice Programme for their LLB graduates, preparing them for a standardised national bar examination ahead of enrolment as lawyers.
The Speaker however added that he understood the University Council was working to position the UBIDS School of Law as one of five institutions to be accredited to run the programme, and declared his support for the university’s candidacy as the leading law school in northern Ghana. He said he had brought law books to donate to the Faculty of Law, and announced plans to meet the University’s Governing Council in his office later in July or early August to discuss further support for the institution.
“Not Just a Survivor, But a Winner”
In remarks addressed to the University’s leadership, Bagbin praised UBIDS’ Governing Council, led by Prof. Kumbuor, together with the Vice-Chancellor, management, faculty and students, for what he described as the institution’s resilience and growth despite significant challenges since its separation from UDS.
He commended the university’s contribution to national development, urging it to deepen its engagement in applied research, entrepreneurship, public policy analysis and community outreach, particularly on issues affecting northern Ghana.
Message to Graduands
The Speaker congratulated parents, guardians and family members for their support toward the graduands’ success, and urged the graduating class to apply their training with discipline, integrity and service to their communities and the nation.
He closed by reaffirming a commitment to a Ghana that is “peaceful, clean, prosperous, inclusive, innovative, free, and just,” and wished the University continued growth.