The chief of Amedzofe drinking from the new borehole
The vice presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has fulfilled his pledge to students and authorities of the Amedzorfe College of Education (AMECO) by providing them with a mechanised borehole to solve the water problem in the institution.
Dr. Bawumia in June this year during the SRC Week Celebration of the College, made the pledge following an appeal by the Students Representative Council (SRC).
The Amedzorfe College of Education, which was established in 1946, is the oldest in the Volta Region, but has over the years been saddled with many problems, chief among which are depleted facilities and inadequate access to portable water.
This situation has over the years forced the students to struggle for water, especially in the dry seasons. The closest water source to the school is a stream which is about a kilometer away.
Bawumia Proves Ablakwa Wrong
Dr. Bawumia’s pledge however, received mixed reactions by people, with some doubting the possibility of getting water at such a mountainous area. Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister in-charge of Tertiary Education, is said to have made mockery of the pledge during a visit to the college. He is reported to have described it as a campaign strategy and a project which is not achievable.
The project, which is estimated to cost about GH¢15,000, started in June 2016 and was completed in August.
‘Vote For Change’
Addressing students and authorities of the college, a former Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Captain Nkrabea Efah Darteh (rtd), who commissioned the borehole on behalf of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, said his (Bawumia’s) fulfillment of the promise is a confirmation of the NPP’s commitment to redevelop the country and steer it in the right direction.
He encouraged the students to “vote for the NPP to ensure real development, progress and prosperity. On December 7, go and cast your vote for the NPP, cast your vote for change – for Ghana to survive.”
Captain Efah Darteh, who later addressed some NPP supporters in the area, mentioned the National Health Insurance Scheme, the school feeding programme, and the teacher and nursing trainee allowances as some of the policies that have collapsed under President Mahama’s NDC government.
Captain Nkrabea Effah Darteh
The Vice Principal of the Amedzorfe College of Education, Rev. S. K Dzandzo, maintained that the college largely depends on rain water harvested annually and from other spring sources which do not sustain the school. For him, “The borehole by Dr. Bawumia has brought real hope to the college.”
Chief Grateful
The chief of Amedzorfe, Togbe Akyem Foli V, said the borehole marks an historical turn in Amedzorfe as no one had ever envisaged that water could ever be drilled in such a mountainous and rocky area. He also commended Dr. Bawumia for the gesture and made an appeal that the tourism potential in the area be developed.
Some students who spoke to DAILY GUIDE could not hide their excitement and were particularly grateful to Dr. Bawumia for solving what they described as the biggest challenge that faced them.
From Gibril Abdul Razak, Amedzofe (gbabdulrazak@gmail.com)