The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has donated educational and administrative equipment worth over GH¢70,000 to Sombo Senior High School in the Nadowli-Kaleo District, following what he described as “desperate voices of students” over inadequate learning resources.

The donation was made during a colourful handing-over ceremony, where the Speaker was given a grand traditional welcome. Students, dressed in traditional attire, performed cultural dances to receive him as the event combined celebration with renewed appeals for infrastructure development.

Delivering his address, Mr Bagbin said his intervention was prompted by a letter dated 29 January 2026, as well as direct appeals from the school’s leadership. “Through the grapevine, I also heard desperate voices of students complaining of unavailable teaching and learning aids and basic equipment that must support their studies,” he said. “So I heard your cry, far, far away in Accra. And I have come”.

He likened the school to a developing institution requiring sustained support, describing it as “a baby we are nurturing”, and added that “tough times don’t last. Tough institutions do”.

The donation targeted key gaps in teaching and administrative capacity. The Home Economics Department received a refrigerator, six large tables, two cooking stoves, two gas cylinders, a blender, cooking utensils, five sewing machines, two electric irons, and a kettle.

For administration and teaching support, the Speaker provided two desktop computers, two laptops, a colour printer, a multi-purpose photocopier with toner, and ten wawa boards for library shelving. He also donated a 14-key xylophone and a talking drum to support the teaching of local culture.

Mr Bagbin urged the school to safeguard the items and ensure they are properly maintained for future students, stressing that they should improve both academic outcomes and students’ welfare.

“Guard, protect and preserve the few pieces of equipment,” he said, adding that they should make an impact “, not just the results, but the lives of the products of this school”.

Despite the donation, the Headmaster, Batholomew Mosongsieyiri, highlighted significant infrastructural challenges facing the school. He traced its growth from a community day school established in 2016 with 25 students to its absorption by the government in 2019, noting that enrolment now stands at 78 students.

He said several key projects remain incomplete, including a 16-unit girls’ dormitory block, a dining hall and additional classrooms. “For the numerous uncompleted buildings in Sombo Senior High School, we would have been the richest in infrastructure among our colleagues,” he said, appealing for urgent intervention.

He expressed gratitude for the donation and assured that the items would be properly deployed across relevant departments, “where they can be made use of very appropriately”.

The gesture was praised by local authorities. The District Chief Executive, Madam Merry Haruna, commended the Speaker’s continued support, saying it signalled that “development begins with education and no child in this district will be left behind”.

The Municipal Director of Education for Lawra, Mr Francis Cudjoe, also encouraged the school to ensure the items “elicit good learning outcomes for our students”.

The Chief of Sombo, Naa Naamuo Yelpoi II, together with sub-chiefs and the Pognaa, also expressed appreciation and encouraged the Speaker to continue his support for the community.

Closing the ceremony, Board Chairman Mr Felix Sibiri thanked the Speaker while raising concerns about the security of the equipment, noting that “the government has not yet appointed security” for the school. He assured that management would work with local volunteers to ensure the items are properly secured.