Construction on the long-abandoned Dorimon E-Block Community Day Senior High School in the Wa West District has resumed, with the project now more than 80 per cent complete after stalling for nearly 10 years.

The project, which began under President John Mahama’s first term, was halted following a change in government, leaving the traditional area without a public secondary or technical institution.

Members of the Dorimon Traditional Council, led by Paramount Chief Naa Alhaji Seidu Tungbani Salinbile II, paid a working visit to the site to inspect the progress of work.

Speaking after the inspection, Naa Alhaji Seidu Tungbani Salinbile II expressed satisfaction with the level of work completed so far, noting that the absence of a secondary school in the area has placed a heavy burden on families who are forced to send their children to distant districts for secondary and TVET education.

“This project is the heartbeat of the Dorimon Traditional Area against the backdrop of the fact that our people are yearning for secondary education and especially TVET education. Our sons and daughters up till now still go to other districts because we don’t have one,” he said.

Naa Alhaji Seidu recalled that in 2018, his predecessor, the late Naa Sohimwininye Danaa Gore II, led a delegation to the Presidency to appeal for the resumption of work, but nothing materialised until recent interventions by local and national authorities.

“Having inspected the project site with my council members, I’ve realised that almost 85 per cent of the work has been done. Door frames, doors, tiles, and initial electrical and plumbing works are all in place. It is just a matter of time,” the chief added.

He commended President Mahama, the Ministry of Education, the Upper West Regional authorities, Wa West Member of Parliament Peter Lanchene Toobu, and the District Chief Executive for prioritising the project.

Guo Pognaa Saadia Mwingbang Senye I, who spoke on behalf of the queen mothers in the area, highlighted the relief the completed infrastructure would bring to young girls who are vulnerable to dropping out of school because of long travel distances.

“A community without secondary education hinders the progress of children, and especially the girls are dropping out because of the lack of a school here,” she noted.

“We actually started a self-initiated private community school run by the traditional council, but due to a lack of resources, it is about collapsing. We appeal to the contractor to speed up so that, come next academic year, the school will be absorbed by the government.”

Secretary to Construction Ways Limited, Felix Nugor, representing Managing Director Gideon Kugbonu, assured the chiefs and residents that the project was on track for handover by the end of October.

“We had this contract about 10 years ago before a change of government brought it to a halt. As you can see, it is more than 80 per cent complete now. All materials are on-site, and we are expecting to finish and hand over by the end of October,” Mr Nugor stated.

He indicated that while cash-flow fluctuations remained a routine challenge, the firm was working with available resources and appealed for additional support from the community to meet the target timeline.