Board Member of Agri-Impact and Mankrado of Akwamu Adonten Traditional Area breaking the ground for commencement of the sickbay at Apeguso Senior High School. INSET: The ICT lab
Agri-Impact Group Limited, an agribusiness firm, has supported two schools at Apeguso in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region with a sickbay and an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre to improve access to basic healthcare and digital learning.
The intervention involves the construction of a sickbay for Apeguso Senior High School (SHS) and the provision of a fully furnished ICT centre with internet connectivity for Apeguso Presbyterian Junior High School. The facilities are expected to benefit students and the wider community.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of Agri-Impact, Dr. Daniel Fahene Acquaye, said the decision to construct the sickbay followed discussions with the school authorities on their most pressing needs. He said although the company initially considered providing furniture, it opted for the health facility after identifying the absence of a sickbay as a more urgent challenge.
“I asked myself, how can you have 900 people put together and there is no health facility to support them,” he said, stressing that access to basic healthcare was essential in schools with large student populations.
On the ICT centre, Dr. Acquaye said the initiative was designed to provide students not only with computers and internet access but also practical digital skills. He said the company would engage ICT professionals to train and support students in making effective use of the facility for their studies and academic development.
Dr. Acquaye further disclosed that Agri-Impact would pay the annual internet subscription for the school to ensure sustained connectivity. He said the service could also benefit young people in the community by giving them access to educational materials and other useful online resources.
The initiatives formed part of the company’s community support activities and coincided with the fifth anniversary of the death of Dr. Acquaye’s late mother, Abrawafia Deaconess Dora Agyarkobea. As part of the activities, the company also organised free health and eye screening exercises for residents and provided medical checks and medication.
The Makrado of the Akwamu Adonten Traditional Area, Nana Dedey Akwei II, commended Agri-Impact for the interventions, particularly the provision of internet connectivity, saying it would help bridge the digital divide between students in rural communities and their counterparts in urban areas. He urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the facilities.
Nana Akwei II also stressed the need for regular maintenance, cautioning that the facilities could deteriorate if they were not properly supervised. He appealed to the government, corporate organisations, philanthropists and development partners to support Apeguso SHS with additional infrastructure to improve teaching and learning.
FROM Daniel K. Orlando, Apeguso