The Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly has invested portions of its District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) in the construction and upgrading of basic education and healthcare infrastructure, to improve access to quality social services in deprived communities. 

The projects, which are at various stages of completion, included kindergarten (KG) blocks, a Junior High School (JHS) block, Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds and other ancillary facilities. 

Mr Roland Atanga Ayoo, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), disclosed this when he led a team from the Assembly to inspect ongoing development projects across the Municipality. 

He said the projects formed part of the Assembly’s efforts to bridge infrastructure gaps, particularly in rural communities where residents had limited access to education and healthcare facilities. 

The MCE said the Assembly was constructing two KG blocks with urinals at Yorogo-Gabisi and Dorongo-Aperiga, while a modern three-unit classroom block at Kulgo-Aguusi was also nearing completion. 

The Kulgo-Aguusi facility comprised an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) room, library, staff common room, headmaster’s office, store, four-seater KVIP toilet and separate two-unit urinals for boys and girls. 

Mr Ayoo said the KG blocks at Gabisi and Aperiga as well as the Kulgo-Aguusi JHS projects, had been completed and would soon be handed over to the Ghana Education Service (GES) for use. 

He said the provision of educational infrastructure in rural communities would enable more children, particularly those at the kindergarten level, to access formal education closer to their homes. 

The MCE also said several CHPS compounds had been completed or were nearing completion and would soon be handed over to the Ghana Health Service (GHS). 

He said the investment in health infrastructure was particularly important because several  communities in the Municipality were located far from the main town, making access to healthcare difficult for residents. 

“By providing such facilities, people will be able to access healthcare,” he said. 

Mr Ayoo said the Assembly was also undertaking renovation works and other development projects as part of efforts to improve living conditions and promote socio-economic development within the Municipality. 

He however, expressed concern about delays in the construction of the Sawaba CHPS compound, saying the Assembly’s engineer had issued a warning letter to the contractor and invited him to explain the reasons for the delay. 

He said the contractor had initially started the project ahead of the others but had subsequently fallen behind schedule. 

“I cannot tell for a fact what the problem is, but I have asked the engineer to call him and we will find out what is happening,” he said. 

The MCE urged residents to take ownership of the projects and protect public infrastructure to ensure that the investments served their intended purposes. 

He said the Assembly’s development interventions were intended to complement national efforts to improve education and healthcare delivery and promote development in the Municipality.