Ghana, China sign US $30m grant for new university in Damongo

China and Ghana agreed to terms on a $30 million grant, under which the Chinese government will provide funding to support the construction of a new university in Damongo, the capital of Ghana's Savannah region.

The agreement, signed by Ghana's Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson and Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Tong Defa, is aimed at expanding tertiary education infrastructure in underserved regions of Ghana.

The university is expected to focus on science and technology, enhancing higher education capacity in northern Ghana, which, historically, has had fewer educational and healthcare facilities compared to the south of the country.

Forson noted that the establishment of a university in Savannah region is aimed at improving access to higher education for students from northern and rural communities.

The university is planned along with other key infrastructure — such as a regional hospital — which will also serve as a teaching facility for medical sciences.

"I thank Ambassador Tong on behalf of President Mahama and the people of Ghana for his service and commitment to strengthening Ghana–China relations," Forson said in a Facebook post.

The Damongo university grant is the latest in a long history of cooperation between the two countries that has spanned decades. In recent years, China has continued to support Ghana through grants, concessional loans, and technical cooperation for various development projects.