The Member of Parliament for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu, alongside officials of the Wa West District Assembly, has commissioned and handed over several completed educational and health infrastructure projects across rural communities in the district.

The tour covered projects at Varempere, Gombile and Dabo, and concluded with a grand durbar at Pase. The completed infrastructure includes a six-unit primary classroom block at Varempere, a long-stalled Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound at Gombile, a Junior High School (JHS) block at Dabo, and a modern CHPS compound with residential staff quarters at Pase.

Addressing the durbars, Peter Lanchene Toobu highlighted the principle of continuity in public administration, arguing that changes in government must never justify the abandonment of taxpayer-funded infrastructure.

"We don’t really care whether a project was started by President Kufuor or President Nana Akufo-Addo. As long as it was meant for the people and funded by the state, it must not be abandoned," Toobu stated.

"Democracy should not be reduced to voting alone; the true essence of governance lies in the tangible developments brought to communities between elections."

At Varempere Primary School, the commissioning of the six-unit classroom block addressed long-standing infrastructure deficits. The MP also handed over 50 plastic chairs to support early childhood education and promised additional furniture.

The District Director of Education, Seidu Kassim, handed the keys to community leaders and urged them to protect the investment.

"This building is now in the hands of Varempere. Let us embrace a culture of maintenance so that we do not return here to find broken fixtures and hanging windows," Mr Kassim said.

PTA Chairman Bayor Adams thanked the MP and the Assembly, pledging that parents and teachers would take care of the facility.

At Dabo, where a modern JHS block was commissioned, the MP warned contractors against delivering substandard work, noting that an earlier school block constructed in 2006 had deteriorated within four years.

Dabo JHS students expressed their excitement about the new facility. Bonle Bernice said:

"Previously, moving motorbikes and pedestrians distracted us because our classroom lacked doors and windows. Now, we have a quiet and secure place to learn, and we promise to study hard and score single-digit aggregates."

Another pupil, Ganiu Misbawu, welcomed the new structure but appealed for additional teachers to help students prepare for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Bultou Naa, Naa Touganle M. Philip, who spoke on behalf of the representative of the Dabo Naa, commended the MP and the Assembly while requesting the electrification of the school to support ICT learning. He also appealed for a modern community market and the establishment of a technical Senior High School.

The commissioning tour also significantly improved access to healthcare for residents in Gombile and Pase.

At Gombile, where a CHPS compound that was started in 2019 was revived and completed with legacy funds from the District Assemblies Common Fund, community elder Dole Naa, Naa Iddrisu Lala, known as "Nansaldau", said the facility would help prevent maternal emergencies.

"When a woman goes into labour in the middle of the night, transporting her over rough roads on a motorbike has always been dangerous. This facility brings dignity and safety to our mothers and wives," he stated.

The MP assured residents that the Gombile CHPS compound would soon be connected to the government’s off-grid solar programme.

At the grand durbar in Pase, Kong Naa, Naa Yendau Dong Issac, commended the initiative and called for united community support to maintain the clinic so it could eventually be expanded into a full health centre.

The Assembly Member for the Dorimon Electoral Area, Fuseini Saaka, also commended the Assembly and the MP. He explained that Pase initially had a community-initiated health outpost before the Assembly intervened to construct the permanent and fully furnished CHPS facility.

He noted that neighbouring communities, including Guo, Kong and Kondoni, would directly benefit from the facility, sparing residents the need to travel long distances to Dorimon to access healthcare.

Mr Saaka pledged that the community would recruit a security guard and cleaner. He also made two specific appeals.

"We appeal to the authorities to post a midwife here to assist the nurse and ensure safer deliveries for our pregnant women. Furthermore, Dorimon is central to our traditional area, and the current health centre is no longer adequate; we urgently appeal for it to be upgraded into a polyclinic."

The Wa West District Health Director, Cecilia Kakariba, described the Pase facility as "hope and life for rural people", highlighting that the inclusion of staff quarters would end the reliance on intermittent outreach visits.

Ms Kakariba appealed for additional equipment and services to make the clinic fully operational.

"To provide comprehensive service, we urgently need a dedicated motorbike for the nurse to collect drugs from Wechiau and carry out outreach, electricity and water connections, and a solar vaccine refrigerator to safely store critical vaccines and medicines," she said.

She also warned residents against neglecting the security of health workers, noting that previous security lapses in the district had forced the withdrawal of some health workers.

Representing the District Chief Executive, the Deputy Coordinating Director of the Wa West District Assembly, Martin K. Berisie, noted that the Assembly had earlier commissioned an institutional guest house and provided furniture in Wechiau, alongside other projects at Tanina, Dodoma and Metii.

"So, development is a shared responsibility. While the government is providing the resources, the Assembly is providing the technical know-how, the MP is providing or lobbying for more development projects for the district, and the traditional authorities are also releasing the land for us to construct these projects," Mr Berisie said.