A University is to be established for postgraduate studies in Engineering, Tourism and Agriculture, as part of the Bui City Project. The proposed university will be funded under a private-public-partnership. Initially, the university will offer only postgraduate programmes in the three faculties, until it is finally completed and undergraduate programmes introduced. Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, who made this known to the Daily Graphic said the idea was to ensure that the Bui City Project brought on board other development infrastructure so that by the time the project was completed, all the required facilities would have been put in place. He said the Chinese engineers undertaking the construction of the city had been asked to build the infrastructure for the faculties to facilitate the opening of the university. According to the Finance Minister, the Bui University would be structured along the lines of the Oxford and Harvard universities. Explaining the nature of the programmes to be offered at the university, he said the focus on the three faculties was based on the three main components of the city project, which involved the dam, the Bui City, agribusiness and ecotourism. Mr Baah-Wiredu further noted that the focus on engineering, agriculture and tourism, was also to take advantage of technology transfer from the Chinese engineers who would work on the project. He said the emphasis was on postgraduate programmes because they were more practical and research-based, and as such did not require many lectures. On the accreditation of the university, Mr Baah-Wiredu said arrangements were being made with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports for that purpose. He assured the people within the catchment area of the dam in the Brong Ahafo and Northern regions that they would not be left out" in any development initiative that would emanate from the project. The Finance Minister also advised them to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that the project would bring. On Friday, August 24, 2007, President J. A. Kufuor cut the sod for the beginning of work on the Bui Dam, which has been on the drawing board for almost a century. The project, being funded by Ghana government with a loan facility of $562 million from the People's Republic of China and internal resources of $60 million, will involve the provision of facilities and services such as an airport, a stadium, schools, hotels, conference centres, restaurants, parking lots, car rentals, media institutions, "chop bars, "shoe shine joints, shops, Internet cafes and markets. Source: Daily Graphic