The University of Ghana's attention has been drawn to a story published on July 31, 2017 on myjoyonline.com and adomonline.com under the headline: "Over 2000 slabs of Indian hemp impounded at University of Ghana site".
There are a number of inaccuracies in portions of the story which we would like to correct. Unfortunately, your publication has also been culled by other media organisations and subsequently been published, i. e. ghananet. com; destinyonline. com, among others.
From the account, your reporter mentions a suspect, Joseph Sarpong, 34 years, who was said to have been "arrested at a scene located within the proposed site for the University of Ghana Soil and Irrigation Resource Centre at Kpong, where the weed was cultivated in large quantity."
We wish to state categorically that the suspect has no links with the University of Ghana and to further state that the said site does not belong to the University of Ghana's Soil and Irrigation Resource Centre (SIREC) at Kpong or any of its outstations.
It may interest you to know that following your poorly researched story which you failed to corroborate with us, thereby giving an unbalanced reportage, our officials have engaged with the Regional Police Commander, the Crime Officer and the Police Public Relations Officer at Koforidua. Based on picture evidence provided by them, and verified by University officials, the said scene or location has been found NOT to be on land belonging to the University of Ghana, contrary to your report and your headline. In fact, the University of Ghana's land starts about 1km from the main Tema-Akosombo highway. Thus, the said scene could not be on a land belonging to the University.
Clearly, the University of Ghana has been wrongfully implicated in a story totally unrelated to it. The factual errors contained in the story are an affront to the University of Ghana's image and cherished reputation built over almost a 70-year period, during which we have been delivering higher education to this country, iri the area of research, high quality teaching and learning.
The Soil and Irrigation Research Centre (SIREC), established in 1954, is one of the three research Centres in our School of Agriculture and plays an important role in the country's agricultural sector, contributing immensely to food security in the nation. SIREC conducts investigations into mechanized irrigated agriculture on the vertisols, (the dominant black clay soils) of the Accra Plains.
Since its establishment, SIREC has been involved in research into the cultivation of fruits such as mango, sugar cane, maize, soybean, cowpea and vegetables, semi- commercial scale rice cultivation as well as cattle and sheep rearing and cage fish aqua culture.
Your publication has portrayed the University in bad light and we therefore demand that you publish this rejoinder in your publications afore-mentioned, giving it the same prominence as your earlier publication.
Stella A. Amoa ( s.)
Director of Public Affairs
cc: Vice-Chancellor
Provost, College of Basic & Applied Sciences
Registrar
Ag. Head, SIREC College Secretary
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