30th Congregation: UEW Chancellor Stresses Resolve Against Illegal Mining and Praises Academic Excellence
Neenyi Ghartey VII, Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has issued an urgent call for national action against the environmental and social devastation caused by illegal mining, warning that the destruction threatens Ghana’s stability, public health and future generations.
He delivered the message on Wednesday, 26th November, 2025, at the First Session of the University’s 30th Congregation held at the Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Centre.
Addressing thousands of graduands, the Chancellor described the ceremony as a proud culmination of perseverance and academic excellence. He commended faculty, administrators and support staff for their dedication, adding that parents and guardians “share deeply in today’s victory.”
Neenyi Ghartey VII highlighted key leadership transitions signalling a renewed chapter for UEW. He celebrated the appointment of Prof. Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu as Pro-Vice-Chancellor, effective 4th June 2025, applauding her strong academic leadership and institutional experience. He also recognised Mrs. Ekua Abedi-Boafo, whose tenure as Registrar began on 1st October 2025, describing her as “a leader who knows the way, shows the way and walks the UEW way.”
He further acknowledged the appointment of Mr. Charles Coffie as Internal Auditor, praising his integrity and commitment to accountability. The Chancellor extended gratitude to outgoing officers whose stewardship, he said, “kept the UEW engine running with stability and grace.”
Shifting to national concerns, he lamented the rapid degradation of key water bodies, including the Ayensu River, now heavily contaminated by mercury, cyanide and silt from illegal mining upstream. The pollution, he said, has forced the shutdown of multiple treatment plants and endangered more than a million lives while destroying farms and livelihoods downstream. “What we are witnessing is not only an environmental crisis but an unravelling of our national fabric,” he cautioned.
He welcomed President John Dramani Mahama’s renewed campaign against illegal mining—highlighting forest reclamation efforts, the designation of water bodies as security zones, strengthened regulations and intensified national operations that have led to hundreds of arrests and the seizure of over nine hundred pumping machines. But he warned that sustained investment in logistics, surveillance, manpower and funding is essential if Ghana is to win the fight. “When leadership rises, the whole community must rise with it,” he urged.
The Chancellor also reflected on the tragic 12th November, 2025 El-Wak Stadium stampede that claimed the lives of six young women, describing it as a painful symbol of the desperation created by youth unemployment. He stressed the need to reorient higher education towards innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation. He praised emerging government initiatives, from the National Apprenticeship Programme to the One Million Coders project and FinTech Growth Fund, but insisted that “the stakes are too high for delays.”
Addressing the graduating class, he charged them to be creators, solution-seekers and nation-builders. “The future belongs to those who turn ideas into action,” he declared.
Neenyi Ghartey VII concluded with a reminder that UEW remains dedicated to shaping responsible leaders for Ghana and the world. He wished the Class of 2025 a future defined by integrity, service and purpose.
