The Chairman of the KNUST private hostel owners association, Bishop Dr Akwasi Owusu-Bi, has said that hostels charging 5000 cedis per bed are running at a loss.
Speaking in an interview on the Orange Sunrise on Thursday, August 21, 2026, to address allegations by the Acting Rent Control Boss, Fredrick Opoku, that hostel owners were extorting students, Dr Owusu-Bi said tagging hostel owners as “criminals” was not right.
He pointed out that operational costs and taxes placed burdens on hostel owners who had invested to make a profit, explaining that about 20% of their total profit went back to the government in the form of taxes.
Dr Owusu-Bi further explained that some students contributed to the high operating costs hostel owners had to bear, citing instances where students refused to turn off fans when leaving for class, left taps on and left sanitary pads to clog toilets.
According to him, most students do not pay for water, nor do they bear the cost of maintaining good hygienic environments in hostels.
He said that instead of the labelling and name-calling by the Acting Rent Control Boss, dialogue was the proper way to address the rising concern about hostel fees.
Dr Owusu-Bi indicated that he had invited the Acting Rent Control Boss for a discussion with hostel owners in KNUST but was informed that he would have to bear the travel costs for Mr Fredrick-Opoku.
He pointed out that the approach of the Acting Rent Control Boss could make things worse for students, highlighting the accommodation deficit in Ghana’s tertiary education system. He indicated that students would lose if private hostels stopped operating.
This comes after Acting Rent Control Boss Fredrick Opoku said private hostel owners should not be allowed to exploit students solely because of their investment.
The Acting Rent Control Boss, Fredrick Opoku, described the exorbitant hostel fees as extortion without impunity and said he was resolved in his quest to fight exploitation of students
