GNPC Foundation supports 4 communities with education infrastructure

The GNPC Foundation has constructed educational and social infrastructure to improve education and sanitation in hard-to-reach communities in the Western Region.

They include a three-unit classroom block each for the Yepimso and Ohiampenika communities as well as a six-unit classroom block for Atobiase and 12-seater sanitary facility for Mumuni Camp in the Wassa East Municipality. 

The foundtion said the support was part of social investment projects in the region and other parts of the country, which include basic school classrooms, laboratories and equipment, education infrastructure and scholarships, which are crucial elements for the creation of perfect ambiance for teaching and learning.

The foundation said its support was hinged on the belief that good educational infrastructure led to better instruction, improved student outcomes, reduced dropout rates and created consciousness among the pupils and students.

The completed projects will replace the obsolete structure built with clay, which are not fit for purpose. 

The GNPC Foundation, which is the sustainability unit of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), said its intervention was targeted at bringing relief to communities and helping to provide perfect ambiance for education and other social reliefs. 

The beneficiary communities hitherto did not have classrooms and sanitary facilities and resorted to the use of unorthodox methods to empty their bowels when nature called.

Foundation 

The Chief Executive of GNPC, Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah, in a speech read on his behalf by the Executive Director for the GNPC Foundation, Dr Dominic Eduah, recalled the projects undertaken by the company in the Western Region.  

He said the region remained one of its priority areas when it came to its core business and “we have done projects in all districts from the provision of sports facilities, dormitories, classroom blocks, sanitary facilities, boreholes, artisans training, scholarships, among others.” 

Mr Ahweneeh-Danquah said the focus was to deliver impactful and sustainable projects to Ghanaians, especially for those in its areas of influence.

Social investment

The Nifahene of Wassa Atobiase, Nana Bukuro II, commended the GNPC Foundation for the support and investing in projects that alleviated the pains of the people in the communities.

He said as a national oil company, it was important for the GNPC to play a lead role by investing in impactful social support projects for others to follow. 

Investing in people he said, would strengthen people, ensure skills development, improve capacities and support them to participate fully in economic ventures to promote national, regional and communal developments.  

He commended the GNPC for the facility, saying that pupils from the beneficiary school studied in a dilapidated structure but were the best in the district in the previous BECE exams. 

Consciousness

He said with the new structure “I can assure you that there will be a high level of consciousness and with our support at the traditional as well as the parental levels we will top the region.”

He urged the foundation to continue to support the communities as it was the sustainability subdivision of the national oil company, which spearheads its corporate social investment activities.

The District Director of Education, Ernestina Christian Badioo Adoo, who was represented by an officer from the district education office, Michael Akuleye, said the provision of the structure for Atobiase D/A Basic School was a great achievement.

He said even though the students were eager to learn, the previous structure was not encouraging. “Judging from the state of the classrooms before the enhanced structure, I can say there will be improvement in teaching and learning,” he said.

He urged the pupils to take advantage of the improved infrastructure and study hard to achieve high academic laurels.