Founder and CEO of the MILLS Institute, Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has expressed heartfelt appreciation to President John Mahama for renaming the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) after the late President John Evans Atta Mills.

Established by Parliamentary Act 828 in December 2011 under the leadership of President Atta Mills, UHAS was envisioned as a pre-eminent, research-driven institution dedicated to practical health education and community service.

President Atta Mills personally cut the sod for the main campus at Sokode Lokoe in the Ho District in 2012, fulfilling a campaign pledge to expand Ghana’s higher education sector with three additional public universities.

“Volta Region also deserves a public university of repute, and I am glad that today, that mission is being carried out with great joy,” President Mills stated at the time.

A loyal disciple of the late President’s legacy for over a decade, Koku Anyidoho was effusive in his praise for President Mahama, describing the renaming as a deeply significant and commendable act.

“It has been a struggle to keep the legacy of President Atta Mills alive, and this decision by President Mahama brings great joy to my heart,” Anyidoho said.

“I am honestly grateful to President Mahama for renaming UHAS as the John Evans Atta Mills University of Health and Allied Sciences. Given the opportunity, I shall not hesitate to thank him personally.”

He added, “All my toil, sweat, and prayers have yielded the desired results, and my joy knows no bounds.”

Mr. Anyidoho believes the move by President Mahama could open a new chapter for healing and unity within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), stressing that honouring party heroes is key to preserving its legacy.

“This illuminating move by President Mahama has opened a new path for building bridges within the NDC and for fostering sustainable unity. Honouring our heroes is the surest way to keep the NDC tradition alive,” he remarked.

He recalled one of President Mills’ favourite maxims: “A nation that does not honour its heroes is a nation that is not worth dying for.”

According to Anyidoho, the renaming of UHAS speaks directly to that belief and is a fitting tribute to the late President’s values and vision.

He also noted that the Act that established UHAS ties the institution strictly to its original mandate in health and allied sciences, a vision President Mills held dearly.

“President Atta Mills’s vision for the university was for it to remain focused solely on health and allied sciences, and his soul will now rest in peace with this great honour done to his memory by President Mahama,” he concluded.