By Bajin D. Pobia
Jirapa, (UWR), May 19, GNA – The Northern Development Authority (NDA), has so far awarded 126 projects in the Upper West Region.
Out of the number,44 of them had been completed under its Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).
The projects, comprising, the provision of potable water facilities, rural electrification systems, health and educational infrastructure among others, are being funded under the one million dollar for Constituency Initiatives.
Of the 44 completed projects, some have already been put to use while other are yet to be inaugurated, Mr. Sulley Sambian, Chief Executive Officer of the NDA announced during his maiden tour of the region to inaugurate some of the projects.
Mr. Sambian inaugurated a GHS 450,000 Ghana well-furnished three classrooms, office, store and staff common room block provided for the Zaghe M/A Primary School in the Jirapa Municipality.
He appealed to the community members to consider the project as their own and undertake regular maintenance to improve its lifespan to benefit the children in the communities.
Mr Ferdinand Bagyiliko Zinnyaeebo, a Deputy Director at the Jirapa Municipal Directorate of Education, encouraged community members to send their children to school to fulfil the purpose for which the facility was provided.
At Goli in the Nadowli-Kaleo District, Mr. Sambian inaugurated 2 unit semi-detached teacher’s quarters, equipped with other auxiliaries at a cost of GHS 303,000.
He said NDA had noticed that teachers in rural areas had challenges of acquiring decent accommodation and had to commute on daily basis to schools.
“This situation is a challenge to effective and quality teaching and learning, hence the need to provide accommodation facilities for teachers’ in rural schools to improve teaching and learning” he said.
He urged the community members to maintain the building to motivate teachers to readily accept posting to the school and stay to teach the children.
The NDA Chief Executive Officer also commissioned a rural electrification project for the residents of Kaleo-Booduori in the Nadowli –Kaleo District who hitherto had no access to electricity in the community and urged them to use the electricity judiciously to enhance cottage industry to increase incomes and livelihoods.
He also encouraged school children to use the lights to improve their studies at home.
Madam Hilda Kale-Naa, a resident said people in the community would now have access to listening to radio and watching television, while women would also have lights to brighten their kitchens when preparing food.
GNA