For years, children at Akatsi Islamic Primary School in Ghana's Volta Region had no permanent classrooms to call their own.

They studied under trees and moved between unfinished temporary structures as the community struggled with inadequate educational facilities. That has now changed.

A new six-classroom school complex, with space for 240 students, has been inaugurated in Akatsi South District, providing the school with permanent classrooms and additional facilities.

The project was built by the Human Development Association International (HUDAI-Ghana) in partnership with the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).

The community had faced inadequate basic educational infrastructure for many years. The new complex includes six classrooms, a mosque, a headmaster's office, a teachers' common room, an imam's residence, a borehole and two restroom units.

The facility was officially inaugurated under the auspices of Türkiye's Ambassador to Ghana, Hüseyin Güngör.

The project began in March 2025 after a community consultation meeting. At the meeting, the Islamic Education Directorate for the Volta Region formally presented a request for a permanent school facility to the Hudai Foundation.

The foundation then worked with IHH to secure sponsorship from Halil İbrahim Bozkuş and Zeliha Bozkuş, who fully funded the construction.

The completed school now offers the community a permanent facility for primary education, replacing the temporary arrangements under which children had previously studied.

Officials attend opening

The inauguration brought together officials from Ghana and Türkiye, as well as representatives of the Muslim community.

Those present included the Turkish Ambassador, Hüseyin Güngör; Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr Munawar Ishaq; and Imam Hüseyin Ankaralı, representing Türkiye's Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİYANET).

HUDAI Foundation Director Remzi Şeker and members of its executive management also attended, alongside the head of the IHH delegation, Sami Fadhel, and other IHH representatives.

The National Chief Imam's Office was represented by Lawyer Nasigri, while Imam Abdul Malik Maiga represented the Songhay Community.

The Volta Regional Director of Education and officials from the regional education directorate also attended.

For a community that had struggled for years with inadequate school facilities, the opening marks the completion of a project that began with a request for a permanent place for children to learn.

HUDAI-Ghana and IHH say the facility will help address the educational needs of children in Akatsi South and support the expansion of quality educational infrastructure in the Volta Region.