The Kassena Nankana West District Chief Executive, Stephen Aeke Akurugo, has cut the sod for the construction of six projects in selected communities in the district.
They are a three-unit classroom block, a modern maternity ward and four mechanised solar-powered boreholes.
The projects, worth over GH₵3.5 million and funded under the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), mark a major step towards improving education, healthcare and access to potable water, especially for students and women who have long been yearning for safe drinking water.
They are expected to be completed in six months.
Projects
The District Engineer, Bertinus Aneate, indicated that the three-unit classroom block awarded to Albak Legacy Enterprise to be constructed at the Boania community at a cost of GH¢1,392,245.14 will have modern educational facilities, including tiled floors, a staff common room, a head teacher’s office and a storeroom.
It will also include a four-seater toilet, a changing room for female students, and four mechanised boreholes will be constructed at the Paga Senior High School (SHS), the Chiana SHS, the Sirigu SHS and the Zenga community.
Each facility will be solar-powered, fenced for safety and equipped with a 1000-litre overhead tank. The system will supply water continuously through a network of distribution lines and serve between 1,500 and 2,000 people. The project, awarded to the Welcome Plus Limited, is valued at GH¢1,260,508.20.
Mr Aneate added that the modern maternity ward, awarded to the Awalna Engineering Services to be constructed at the Mirigu CHPS compound at a cost of GH¢936,750.89, will include a fully tiled delivery room, a midwife’s bedroom, a hall for pre-labour activities and a kitchenette.
Assurance
Addressing community members during separate ceremonies, Mr Akurugo assured them of the assembly’s commitment to delivering complete, fully functional projects that would benefit the communities and enhance development.
Mr Akurugo appealed for full cooperation to enable the contractors to work without obstruction.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Chiana-Paga Constituency, Nikyema Billa Alamzy, indicated that the government was committed to fulfilling the promises made to the people and urged the communities to support the contractors.
The Paramount Chief of the Mirigu Traditional Area, Naba Anthony Anonsona Atasige Abisa III, lauded the assembly for the maternity ward project, saying the new facility would protect women’s dignity and reduce home births, which pose health risks.
The Senior House Master of the Paga SHS, Ibrahim Abagna, also commended the assembly and the MP for what he described as a timely intervention.
An Educationist and elder of the Boania community, Solomon Awariwe, said the construction of the three-unit classroom block would not only enhance teaching and learning but would also ensure the safety of students who currently study in a dilapidated structure.
