The University of Ghana Branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UG-UTAG) has donated GHC50,000 to Citi FM/Citi TV’s #Relief4LowerVolta campaign to support victims of the recent Akosombo Dam spillage.
Presenting the cheque on the Citi Breakfast Show, the President of UG-UTAG, Professor Ransford Gyampo, said the donation was a token of the association’s commitment to helping those in need.
“A couple of days ago when we heard about this Akosombo Dam spillage and the havoc it has caused some people, we were worried,” Gyampo said. “And UTAG, especially UG-UTAG, we have decided that we are no longer going to be heard only when it’s about our conditions of service. To that extent, we will be heard on all important national issues.
“And so, we deemed it as our responsibility to issue a statement and also donate our widow’s mite to help alleviate the challenges that had been inflicted on the people. And so, we decided as university teachers to make a little contribution. University teachers whose salaries are not enough, and are always fighting for better conditions of service. And we decided that we would lead by example. We are here to make this cheque donation of GHC50,000. Membership contributed.”
UG-UTAG also commended Citi TV/Citi FM’s Operation Rebuild initiative, which is aimed at constructing resettlement centres for affected victims of the dam spillage. The association assured Citi TV/Citi FM that it would visit some of the affected areas to assess the academic situation there.
The General Manager of Citi TV/Citi FM, Bernard Avle, and the Managing Director, Samuel Attah-Mensah, both expressed their gratitude to UG-UTAG members for the donation.
Mr Attah-Mensah also urged the association to find time to visit the affected areas, saying that it would change their perspectives on the situation.
“We thank you, we are so grateful. We also urge you to find time to visit some of these places. So far, I have had to brief a few organisations about what is there and what they knew before speaking to me. There’s a little shift here, when you go and see the situation, it changes your perspectives. It’s so difficult to just go home and leave.”