Yaa Naa Yakubu II was also instrumental in the establishment of the University for Development Studies in Northern Ghana. Plans to set up a university in northern Ghana had been planned since the regime of General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong (1972–1978), but had never been implemented. Yakubu II was unrelenting in his efforts to put pressure on the national government to establish the university. He led several protest delegations to Accra to meet leaders of the country. President Jerry John Rawlings, 10th Head of state of Ghana and good friend of Yakubu II finally cut sod for establishment of the university in 1992. Yakubu II was present at the occasion for that historic moment in Tamale. University for Development Studies now has campuses in Tamale, Nyankpala, Wa and Navrongo. It also has an annual intake of over six-thousand students.