Senior Pastor of Pleasant Place Church, Bishop Gideon Titi-Ofei, has shared the remarkable origin story behind the University of Gold Coast, a growing private university located at Spintex in Accra, revealing that its foundations were laid with a modest GH¢500 loan borrowed from a church member more than two decades ago.
Speaking on The Upside Down Show on Channel One TV on Sunday, June 21, the preacher and education entrepreneur explained how what began as a small act of trust and financial risk eventually developed into one of Ghana’s emerging private universities.
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According to him, the breakthrough moment came when he decided to organise a pastors’ conference in 2004 despite having extremely limited capital, a decision that would quietly set the stage for everything that followed.
How A GH¢500 Loan Started The Journey
Bishop Titi-Ofei explained that he approached a female member of his church for financial assistance to organise his first pastors’ conference in February 2004.
The arrangement came with an agreement that he would repay the money with 10 per cent interest after one month.
“I borrowed GH¢500 from a friend of mine to run my first conference. It is a lady in our church and I promised her 10% interest per month. But I knew I was going to use the money for just one month, so my first conference was for pastors in February 2004,” he said.
The pastor revealed that he invested half of the money in advertising the event, believing visibility would determine its success.
The Strategic Decisions Behind The Success
Giving a breakdown of how the funds were spent, Bishop Titi-Ofei said GH¢250 was used to purchase a half-page black-and-white advertisement in the Daily Graphic newspaper.
He also spent GH¢150 on a Pentium II desktop computer, leaving him with GH¢100 to cover other operational costs.
“I used GH¢250 of that amount of money to buy my first half-page black-and-white advert space in Daily Graphic. I bought a Pentium II desktop computer for GH¢150 and I was left with GH¢100,” he recounted.
To stretch resources further, he borrowed a printer from a friend, purchased ink, and used the remaining funds for stationery and essential conference logistics.
From Conference Profit To University Of Gold Coast
The conference was ultimately successful and generated a profit beyond expectations.
After repaying the church member GH¢550, which included the agreed interest, Bishop Titi-Ofei said he was left with GH¢1,600 in profit.
That early financial gain, he explained, became the seed capital for subsequent ventures that expanded over time, eventually contributing to the establishment of the University of Gold Coast in Spintex, Accra.
“After repaying the lady’s GH¢550, I got a profit of GH¢1,600 so I built a whole university by the grace of God with a borrowed GH¢500,” he said.
Why The Story Resonates
The account stands out as a powerful illustration of entrepreneurship, discipline and calculated risk-taking. Rather than waiting for large-scale funding, Bishop Titi-Ofei used limited resources strategically to execute an idea he believed in.
It also reflects a broader reality in Ghana’s private education landscape, where many institutions begin as modest initiatives before evolving into fully structured universities.
Importantly, it highlights how trust, execution and consistency can transform small beginnings into long-term institutional impact.
For entrepreneurs, students and young professionals, the journey from a GH¢500 loan to the creation of a private university in Spintex, Accra offers a compelling reminder that vision, discipline and timing often matter more than starting capital.
