GPMS to Construct 18-Unit Classroom Block for Bugubelle Community
Ghana Petroleum Mooring Systems (GPMS) has announced the construction of an 18-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities for the Bugubelle community in the Sissala East Municipality.
The project, which forms part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), aims to address the dire infrastructure deficit in the area and curb the migration of youth to Southern Ghana for menial labor and illegal mining (Galamsey).
During a site inspection on Thursday, the General Manager of GPMS, Godwin Duncan Alikor (Torgbe Agbakla), accompanied by Finance Manager Shamsudeen Musah, revealed that the project was influenced by the persistent advocacy of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sissala East, Hon. Issah Mohammed Bataglia.
Mr. Alikor disclosed that while he originally considered siting the project in his home region in the Volta, a needs assessment conducted by his team confirmed that Bugubelle’s educational needs were more critical. “The report from my team showed that Bugubelle needed this classroom block more. The MP was smart enough to know when to act as a board member and when to engage me as a friend to lobby for his people,” Mr. Alikor stated.
The infrastructure project will be executed in two phases: Phase one is the Construction of a 9-unit classroom block to be completed within five months of the contractor’s arrival on site and in Phase two A subsequent 9-unit block, the commencement of which will depend on the successful execution of the first phase.
In response to a request from the Ghana Education Service (GES), the General Manager also approved the addition of a dedicated room for B-STEM (Basic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities to house educational equipment currently in storage.
The MP, Hon. Issah Mohammed Bataglia, expressed profound gratitude to the GPMS leadership. He lamented that Bugubelle had become a hub where young girls migrate south for “greener pastures”, often returning with health complications, while young men risk their lives in Galamsey. “This project is an intervention to turn the fortunes of our youth. By providing a conducive learning environment, we are giving them a reason to stay and build their futures here,” the MP said.
Representing the Municipal Director of Education, Hon. Godfred Bevero Kanton (GOBIK), noted that the project would serve the entire Walembelle circuit. He emphasized that, the current classroom situation was “terrible” and that the new facility would be a game-changer for the B-STEM program, which had been stalled due to a lack of space to display laboratory items.
The School Management Committee (SMC) Chairman, Mr. Nuhu Alhassan (Noway), thanked the GPMS team on behalf of the elders and youth of Bugubelle, pledging the community’s full support for the project’s duration. As a gesture of traditional hospitality and appreciation, the community presented a ram to the General Manager.
A formal sod-cutting ceremony is expected to take place in the coming days to officially break ground on the project.
By Bashiru Nuhu Bapagu