By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, July 13, GNA – Mr. Benjamin Tawiah Twum, the Headmaster of Kumasi High School (KUHIS), has commended the school’s North American alumni chapter, the Mmerante3 North America Group, for the completion and handover of a state-of-the-art steam kitchen facility valued at $100,000.
The capital-intensive project, funded by old boys resident across the United States and Canada, replaces the school’s traditional wood-fired cooking methods with modern, energy-efficient Steam Tek appliances.
Speaking at the commissioning and handover ceremony at the school’s Gyinyase campus, Mr. Twum expressed profound gratitude, noting that, the Mmerante3, a Twi term meaning “Gentlemen” traditionally used by KUHIS alumni, had consistently stepped in to address the school’s most critical infrastructural needs.
“It is gratifying to note that our kitchen staff can now prepare meals in a completely smoke-free environment and in a fraction of the time,” Mr. Twum said, adding that, the school remained immensely grateful for the alumni group’s exemplary generosity in executing the transformative project.
For decades, many secondary school kitchens across Ghana have relied on firewood, exposing kitchen staff to chronic smoke inhalation.
Ms. Joana Yamoah, the Head Matron at Kumasi High School, highlighted the severe physical toll the old system had taken on her team, noting that several staff members had developed respiratory and ocular complications over the years of working with the wood-fired system.
Professor Chris Mensah-Bonsu, a member of the North American chapter and the primary initiator of the project, provided technical insights into the new facility.
He explained that the industrial Steam Tek equipment is capable of cooking meals for 1,200 students within just 45 minutes.
He said the kitchen was designed with a dual-fuel system that can run on both electricity and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
To ensure long-term operational sustainability, he added, the project also included the refurbishment of the school’s propane tanks and the installation of a dedicated water reservoir to guarantee a constant water supply for the steam mechanisms.
The commissioning ceremony drew several high-profile dignitaries, including former Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and the immediate past Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Right Reverend Dr J.O.Y. Mante.
Dr. Adutwum lauded the alumni group’s initiative and urged other old boys’ associations across the country to replicate the model, emphasising that transitioning to modern cooking equipment was a matter of public health, sparing institutional cooks from occupational illnesses caused by traditional biomass smoke.
Commissioning the project, Rev Dr Mante praised the enduring spirit of the KUHIS alumni network and urged the kitchen staff and school technicians to strictly adhere to maintenance protocols to ensure the expensive equipment remained viable for generations of students to come.
Mr. Larry Osei Koduah, President of Mmerante3 North America, thanked diaspora members for their generous financial contributions and reiterated the chapter’s commitment to ensuring that current students enjoy a hygienic, modern environment conducive to both learning and wellbeing.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim