The Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare-Addo, says he will petition the Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities over the rising cost of student accommodation, particularly at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

This follows a demonstration by some KNUST students at the university’s Great Hall, where they used placards to draw attention to the increasing cost of hostel and residential accommodation.

Speaking at the launch of the National Youth Conference in Kumasi on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, Mr Opare-Addo said the government would engage the relevant authorities and hostel operators to find solutions to the concerns raised by students.

He said the government would petition the Education Ministry and other institutions responsible for regulating rent to ensure that accommodation charges are reasonable and comply with the law.

“We will petition the Minister of Education and the appropriate authorities that are responsible for controlling rent in this country. We are a country of laws. We must allow our laws to work. No single individual is bigger or greater than the laws of this country,” he said.

Mr Opare-Addo stressed that the government would engage owners of private hostels to address the situation and ensure that students are not subjected to unreasonable accommodation charges.

“And so, we will make sure that the right things are done. We will have the necessary conversations with owners of hostels, and we will make sure that prices are reasonable for students,” he added.

The Minister also disclosed that the Ministry of Education was engaging private investors to construct additional affordable accommodation facilities on university campuses.

“I also know that the Ministry of Education is in talks with some private members to build more affordable hotels on campus; we will pursue that,” he said.