History Of University For Development Studies UDS

The University for Development Studies was established in 1992 as a multi-campus institution to serve the four northern regions of Ghana (Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions) in which rural poverty and environmental degradation are generally prevalent. The University is expected to blaze a new trail in higher education by effectively combining academic work with practical hands-on training and experience and work among the communities encompassing its sphere of influence in particular and rural areas in the country, generally.
Established in May 1992 by the Government of Ghana to “blend the academic world with that of the community in order to provide constructive interaction between the two for the total development of Northern Ghana, in particular, and the country as a whole” (PNDC Law 279, Section 279).
“The UDS was borne out of the new thinking in higher education which emphasizes the need for universities to play a more active role in addressing problems of the society, particularly in the rural areas” (Effah, 1998).
The objective is not only to train students to live and work in rural communities, but also to equip them with the relevant skills and expertise to prepare them for self-employment. The Third Trimester Field Practical Training Program is a distinguishing feature of the University. Eight weeks of the third trimester are devoted to a practical work and extension among the local communities. During this period, the students live in the local communities, conduct research and interact with the populace. At the end of the program a forum is held and the students present their findings and recommendations to the communities. Traditional rulers, MPs, District Assembly Members, opinion leaders and the general public are invited to the forums and participate in the discussions. The students present individual and group reports, which are graded as part of the requirements for graduation.
The University by its mandate and constituency has a pro-poor focus. This is reflected in its methodology of teaching, research and outreach services. The specific emphasis on practically-oriented, research and field-based training is aimed at contributing towards poverty reduction in order to accelerate national development:
It began academic work in September 1993 with the admission of forty (40) students into the Faculty of Agriculture, (FoA), Nyankpala.
The Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, (FIDS), Faculty of Planning and Land Management (FPLM), School of Business and Law, Wa, Faculty of Education (FoE), and School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), Tamale, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources (FRNR), Faculty of Agriculture (FoA) and the Faculty of Agribusiness and Communication Sciences (FACS), Nyankpala, Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS), Faculty of Mathematical Sciences(FMS), Navrongo and the Graduate School now in Tamale were phased in from 1994 to date.
The University currently focuses mainly on studies in

Agricultural Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences.
Applied Sciences
Integrated Development Studies and
Inter-disciplinary Research

The School of Medicine and Health Sciences is expected to adopt the problem-based student-centered and community-oriented approach to medical education. Besides the training of medical doctors the SMHS is expected to produce Allied Health Personnel in the fields of Radiology, Laboratory Technology, and physiotherapy etc. to meet the needs of the country’s Health Delivery Sector.

Facts OF University For Development Studies UDS

UDS is unique compared to other public universities in the following ways:

Its location and multi campuses are spread out in rural northern Ghana where the incidence and depth of poverty is high.
Its vision is pro-poor aimed at addressing the conditions and structural causes of poverty.
The UDS has four (4) campuses, Eight (8) Faculties, a Business School, one Medical School, one Graduate School, one Institute and three (3) centres.
The UDS also runs a community-technical interface programme. This is a combination of the academic and community-based field practical work known as the Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP).