The University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) has held its second congregation for the School of Law alongside a special graduation ceremony for the School of Graduate Studies, marking a monumental day of academic achievement and significant development pledges.

The ceremony brought together political leaders, legal practitioners, religious leaders and traditional authorities, all of whom have one affiliation or another with the university.

They continue to support the university in their own ways and honour every invitation, underscoring the institution’s deep roots in the community.

Delivering his welcome address, the Chairman of Council, Dr Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kumbuor, highlighted the profound historical significance of the ceremony.

“Today’s occasion marks the second time that a university in Northern Ghana, almost seven decades after independence, is awarding Bachelor of Laws degrees to deserving graduates,” Dr Kumbuor stated.

He proudly noted the exceptional performance of the young law faculty, revealing that out of the 42 LLB graduates from the maiden batch who sat the Ghana School of Law entrance examination, 28 passed.

“This represents almost 70 per cent who passed and are currently in Part One of the professional law training course,” Dr Kumbuor added, noting that the General Legal Council has officially selected the UBIDS School of Law as one of the 19 institutions permitted to run the one-year pre-bar course.

Detailing the graduation statistics, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Emmanuel Kanchebe Derible announced that a total of 70 law students, comprising 61 males and 9 females, graduated alongside 298 postgraduate students, including 8 PhD candidates and 290 master’s degree recipients.

Despite the academic milestones, the Vice-Chancellor did not shy away from addressing the institution’s severe infrastructure deficit. Prof. Derible passionately appealed to the government for targeted support, using the platform to make a direct plea to the Special Guest of Honour, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.

“On this auspicious occasion, we respectfully appeal to you and His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, to accord priority to upgrading the university’s infrastructure through a bold and strategic financing mechanism like the Big Push initiative for roads,” Prof. Derible stated.

The Special Guest of Honour, Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, took the audience down memory lane as he recounted his deep personal connection to the very land on which the university is built.

“This land has an indelible imprint in my mind, because this is the land that nurtured me when I was in senior high school,” Mr Bagbin revealed. “This land was a cotton farm, and I was a labourer here on daily contracts, earning money to support my education.”

Transitioning from his humble beginnings to his current development efforts, Speaker Bagbin announced major health and educational interventions for the region.

He disclosed that he has initiated a partnership between UBIDS and the Medical University of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates to establish a medical school. To lay the groundwork, he is personally facilitating the upgrade of the Upper West Regional Hospital into a teaching hospital.

“As I speak to you now, six brand new dialysis machines, together with the necessary supporting logistics and consumables, will be installed at the hospital this year through my efforts,” Speaker Bagbin announced to rapturous applause.

He also highlighted the recent passage of the Legal Education Reform Act, 2026 (Act 1170), a legislative milestone aimed at decentralising legal training across the country.

Valedictorian Roger Yelkumwin Zolko-Ere echoed these sentiments, reflecting on the arduous but rewarding journey of the graduating class and challenging his peers to become standard-bearers of integrity and innovation.

Adding a vibrant traditional touch to the academic proceedings, the Kajukperi cultural troupe delivered a spectacular music and dance performance that energised the auditorium.

As the ceremony drew to a close, Dr Kumbuor presented a special citation of honour to Speaker Bagbin. The formal graduation rites climaxed as the Dean of the School of Law called the graduands forward, allowing the Chairman of the Occasion to officially confer their degrees as they switched their tassels from right to left.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Derible then led the triumphant class in reciting the official graduation oath, formally cementing their new status as graduates.