The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) has cut sod to begin the construction of a multi-purpose office complex at the university’s main campus in Sunyani in the Bono Region.

The construction of the four-story edifice is being funded from the university’s internally generated fund.

When completed in eighteen months, the office complex will have 96 offices and conference rooms, among other auxiliary facilities, to optimize business in the university.

Ahead of the sod cutting, the Vice-Chancellor of UENR, Prof. Elvis Asare-Bediako, said the university is in dire need of offices for teaching and non-teaching staff, lecture halls to meet the intake of students, conference rooms, and auditoriums for major university programs.

He explained that the infrastructure deficit has been a major challenge since the university was established by an Act of Parliament, Act 830, in December 2011 and operationalized in 2012.

“We don’t have any coordinated center that we can call administrative as all major offices operate from different locations, thereby affecting efficiency”.

He, however, noted that despite the infrastructural inadequacies, the university has made progress in its core mandate and is encouraged that the situation would improve.

The office complex, the VC said will answer many questions and will fill many needs for the smooth-running of the university, besides contributing to the physical presence and image.

Prof Asare-Bediako said they don’t want to always rely on the government, and that explains why they are using their IGF over the years to fund the project to supplement the government efforts.

“Let us all work together to see the beautiful picture of the Multipurpose Office Complex on the paper rise from the ground and lessen our burden of lack of infrastructure in UENR”, he told the staff and also appealed to all well-meaning people of the Region and Ghana, stakeholders, and the Government to support them lift all infrastructural plans on paper to reality.

He also appealed to the GETFund and the government to support the university complete other projects at the main and Dormaa campuses to improve teaching, learning, and research.

Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu Banahene, commended the management of the University for the initiative and the prudent use of resources.

She assured the university that the government will continue to support infrastructure development.

“The ultimate aim is to secure for ourselves a skilled workforce to promote industrialization and self-reliance as the university holds huge potential for the development of human capital for nation-building”, she said.

The University Council Chairman, Prof Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaah, assured the council’s unflinching support for the realization of the office complex and appealed to the staff to do the same.

He told the contractor, “Adujem Company Limited”, to avoid shoddy work and deliver exceptionally to justify the confidence the university has in them.

UENR aims to become a word-class institution for generating, advancing, and applying knowledge in energy and natural resource sciences.