11 new school buildings handed over to the Ellembelle District

Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) Partners, led by Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Limited, have handed over 11 newly constructed and rehabilitated state-of-the-art school buildings to the people of Ellembelle, in the Western Region of Ghana.

The school buildings, which came with ancillary facilities, including canteens, staff common rooms, libraries, toilet facilities, and AstroTurf parks, took 16 months to complete.

Beneficiary schools include; Anyanzinli D/A basic school, Bakanta Catholic primary school, Sanzule/ Krisan basic school, Eikwe Catholic primary school, Eikwe Catholic JHS, Ngalekyi/Baku basic school, Anokyi Methodist primary school, Anokyi D/A JHS,

Atuabo Methodist primary school, Atuabo Methodist JHS and Asem-Nda Suazo Methodist Primary School.

Mr Valenti Giuseppe, addressing the chiefs and people of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council at the handing over of the school infrastructure project, said the project formed part of OCTP’s commitment to giving back to the community and improving the lifestyle of people in their host district, Ellembelle.

He described the project as an all-important one as 16 months of hard work and support from stakeholders had yielded improved teaching and learning environments for beneficiary schools without any damage or harm.

“Good infrastructure improves school attendance and staff motivation. After teaching in these new classroom blocks, teachers will also get to rest in staff rooms. The canteens will be great places for eating hot meals, and the AstroTurf will be good for extracurricular and sporting activities.

“The provision of an independent source of water and sanitation will improve the general well-being of students, with the buildings also being child- and disability-friendly,” he posited.

Mr Giuseppe praised the OCTP Partners, the World Bank, and the chiefs and residents of the beneficiary communities for their efforts in ensuring that the buildings met their needs, while also urging them to make good use of and maintain the infrastructure.

Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, thanked Eni Ghana and the OCTP Partners for investing in Ghana and the region in particular through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

He charged Eni Ghana and its partners to invest similarly in other parts of the region. “We want Eni, GNPC, and Vitol to also invest in other parts of the region, prioritising and tailoring infrastructure to meet the needs of these communities.”

The regional minister further pledged unflinching support for companies seeking to establish

themselves in the area to achieve maximum productivity and support the communities they operate in.

Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council, described Eni and its OCTP partners as the best among the lot to have operated in the area.

“Eni and its OCTP partners have built and renovated school buildings in our communities, and that is something we cannot comprehend. We have seen other companies run operations from here but have never enjoyed the development given to us by Eni and partners and such. We are very thankful for that.”

The event was well attended by stakeholders, dignitaries, and representatives from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Petroleum Commission, and the World Bank Group.

Also present were the Country Manager of Vitol Upstream Ghana Limited, James Thorburn, Deputy Minister of Energy, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer and District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzoh.

Source: GNA