The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) has commissioned a Ghana National Fire Service station on its Tarkwa campus to improve emergency response and strengthen safety for its growing university community and surrounding settlements.

The move comes as the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality continues to record fire incidents, with the Ghana National Fire Service reporting 12 cases within the first half of 2026.

The incidents included five domestic fires, three commercial fires, a vehicular fire, an institutional fire, an industrial fire and one other outbreak.

According to the Director of Operations of the Ghana National Fire Service, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Roberta Aggrey Ghanson, the UMaT enclave alone recorded four major fires from January to date.

She said the location of the new station will help reduce response time and allow firefighters to act faster during emergencies.

“My heart is filled with joy for having this project strategically located in Tarkwa because it is actually going to reduce our response time,” she said.

The facility was established as part of UMaT’s strategic expansion plans and projections of an increasing student population.

The university currently has more than 14,000 students on its Tarkwa campus, and authorities say safety infrastructure must expand alongside the institution.

Vice Chancellor of UMaT, Professor Richard Kwesi Amankwah, said the project is aimed at improving the safety resilience of both the university and the wider Tarkwa community.

“It’s all about improving the safety resilience of the university and also the community. We have more than 14,000 students in the Tarkwa campus, and it is important that as you bring more people into a community, you also think about their safety,” he said.

Professor Amankwah explained that the existing fire station serving Tarkwa, located at Aritreso, is several kilometres away, and traffic congestion could affect response during emergencies.

He said bringing the service closer to the university will help firefighters respond quickly and contain incidents before they escalate.

Beyond the university community, UMaT says the facility is expected to serve neighbouring settlements and communities within the university enclave.

The commissioning forms part of efforts to improve emergency preparedness in Tarkwa.