The Dean of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School, Prof Ernest Kofi Abotsi, has urged alumni associations to move beyond discretionary philanthropy and embrace giving back to their schools as a lifelong duty.

Speaking during the launch of the legacy project of the 2002 year group of St. Augustine’s College Past Students Association (APSU) held at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra on Friday, June 19, 2026, Prof. Abotsi challenged the audience to rethink their relationship with the school.

“The topic of giving may just be a tired subject… But easy subjects make for boring conversations,” he said, acknowledging the scepticism often surrounding charity while insisting that school-related giving demands deeper reflection.

Prof. Abotsi, a member of the 1993 APSU, argued that many alumni still approach their alma mater with a charitable mindset, seeing the school as a needy recipient and themselves as benevolent donors in a position of power.

He called for a change, stating that contributing to one's alma mater should be considered an act of nobility in support of the strengthening of institutions that positively impacts humans.

He reminded the APSU fraternity of the sacrifices of past generations of missionaries, donors and old boys who built the institution, asking: “Do you truly give anything to Augusco when you give, or do you merely honour the privilege of a unique heritage in whose commonwealth you share?”

Prof. Abotsi also criticised the competitive “hosting rights” culture among year groups, where success or failure of one group becomes a point of comparison or relief for others. He called the mindset shameful and urged all APSUnians, regardless of their year groups, to give consistently as a continuing debt owed to the school that shaped them.

“Shame for hiding! Shame for enjoying the pleasure of defiance against one’s conscience. And shame for overly burdening younger and junior APSUnians,” he stated.

He concluded by challenging the school itself to reciprocate this loyalty, particularly by giving alumni wards priority in admissions to sustain the heritage.

The event, chaired by former Cabinet Minister and 1961 alumnus Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, marked the launch of the APSU 2002 legacy project.

The initiative, dubbed BOLT (Building Opportunities for Learning and Transformation), involves the construction of a 14-unit, one-storey teachers’ apartment building to address the current housing deficit, where only 60 out of 140 teachers reside on the institution's campus in Cape Coast.

Headteacher Rev. Fr. Dr. Patrick Godfred Appiah commended the 2002 group for the initiative, noting it will enhance student supervision and discipline amid rising enrolments under the Free Senior High School policy.

Sister school alumni groups, HOPSA 02, AMOSA 02, Bleoo 02, Santa 02, and MOBA 02 also made donations in solidarity.

The project is scheduled for completion by December 2026, ahead of St. Augustine’s College’s 97th Anniversary in March 2027, which will honour alumni and staff who have sustained the institution’s high standards since its founding in 1930.

Contributions to the BOLT project can be made through the website: www.apsu2002.com.

By Lord Kweku Sekyi