THE IMPACT OF THE UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES WA CAMPUS ON SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS IN THE BAMAHU COMMUNITY IN THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

This study explored the ways in which the University for Development Studies (UDS)-Wa campus was impacting the Bamahu community and its livelihood systems from a background of university-community relations. Bamahu community was purposively selected for this study due to the location of the Wa UDS campus. A total of 60 respondents across gender and generations was selected using the random sampling method. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data and both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to analyze and present the findings. This study observed that Bamahu was a previously agricultural community with a majority of the population dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. The agricultural base of the community also depended largely on a piece of land that was previously a Government state farm in the 1960's, and now allocated to the UDS to develop infrastructure for its satellite campus in Wa, the capital town of the Upper West Region of Ghana. The study concluded that the location of the Wa UDS campus had caused rapid transformations in the demographic, socio- economic, and socio-cultural dynamics of the community. Specifically, there were impacts on the physical environment, land use, and livelihood systems of the area. Settlement patterns that were hitherto clan or family based, were replaced by more socio-cultural heterogeneity and influences on the community. Previous farm lands were being transformed into residential and commercial estates with physical developments underway in Bamahu and surrounding communities. These transformations had implications for the stakeholders of the community including the UDS, local leaders, government, staff, and students of the university. The study recommended initiatives in university-community relations to facilitate orderly and coordinated development of the university and the community.