President John Mahama has been decorated with beads and given a new title- promise fulfilling president- by traditional authorities in Yilo Krobo in the Eastern Region.

The new accolade came after the president cut sod for the construction of the Eastern Region university, Thursday.

The University of Environment and Sustainable Development as it will be called will be the first public university in the Eastern Region.

The sod cutting ceremony was to fulfill a promise President John Mahama made as part of his 2016 campaign.

"I will not take your support for granted. What is due you as your fair share of the national cake, I will make sure that you get it.

“We have legislation of the Eastern University currently before parliament and that university in Kroboland will make the area a citadel of education in Ghana. It will specialise in Environmental Studies and Agriculture. We know majority of residents [here] are farmers and it will focus on research to help productivity,” Mr Mahama said during his Accounting to the People tour in April this year.

Despite losing the election, President Mahama returned to Yilo Krobo to dig the ground for the commencement of the project, with only few days left for him to hand over power to the Nana Akufo-Addo led New Patriotic Party administration.

It was an emotional return for the president as some of the residents were seen wailing and exchanging pleasantries with the president, Joy FM's Eastern Region correspondent Kofi Siaw reported.

Some of the supporters are praying he returns as flagbearer for the party in 2020.

President John Mahama after cutting the sod stated that the university is expected to ensure equitable access to tertiary education.

"The university will feature general and specialised degrees in order to fill in the gaps and ensure the completeness of training for environmental and sustainable development professionals.

"...The university will also provide courses in urban architecture, natural resources and environmental economics, environmental policy and environment science will also feature as key areas of study.story

The president said a complete modern institute of higher learning, with academic facilities, residential facilities for students, staff bungalows will be constructed on the site in Somanya.

"The university will be a multi campus institution. The main campus will be on this site and the second campus will be constructed in Donkorkrom on the Afram plains also in the Eastern Region," he said.

Myjoyonline.com