The Father Dogli Memorial Technical Institute at Ayoma has been crowned the National Best Senior High School in Practical Agriculture for 2025.
This affirms the place of the institute as one of Ghana’s leading centres for hands-on agricultural education.
The school received a brand-new coaster bus in recognition of its efforts at the 2025 National Farmers Day celebration in Ho, held on the theme, “Feed Ghana, Eat Ghana and Secure the Future.”
The Principal of the school, Brigitte Afi Dzakah, described the recognition as a landmark achievement built on decades of sustained investment in agricultural training, innovation and food production.
She credited the success to the strong foundation laid by her predecessors and the continuous expansion of practical programmes under her administration.
Ms Dzakah said the school’s access to large tracts of land had been a major enabler of its agricultural transformation, adding, “We have vast land resources, and we have fully utilised them to diversify our agricultural activities. Not many institutions in Ghana have such an opportunity.”
Agric capacity
The school’s agricultural department has witnessed significant growth in recent years, with students actively engaged in crop production, piggery, poultry and other practical ventures that equip them with employable skills.
These initiatives have boosted the school’s capacity to provide relevant, competency-based training, while also contributing food to the domestic market.
The institute’s agricultural enterprise now spans both crop and livestock production.
Its operations include maize, cocoa, coffee and vegetable farms, a seven-acre oil palm plantation, mushroom cultivation, piggery, goat and sheep rearing, and a thriving poultry unit.
Beyond training, these ventures directly support the school’s feeding programme.
Ms Dzakah revealed that the availability of fresh produce from the school’s farms had significantly improved meal quality and contributed to rising enrolment.
“Most students who come to us always talk about the nutritious meals we provide.
With our vegetables, fruits and livestock products, we can enrich their diet.
It has even doubled our first-year intake this year,” she said.
Infrastructure boost
As part of the award package, the school received a 32-seater mini-bus, GH₵100,000, and an 18-unit classroom block from the government.
The principal described the new block as a timely intervention that would ease congestion.
“That alone will reduce the burden on us.
It will support teaching and learning and allow us to expand our programmes further,” she noted.
She urged other educational institutions to prioritise agriculture as a strategic investment.
