Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said government is committed to its comprehensive and inclusive development strategy for the country, while noting the completion of over 300 projects in Zongo communities, with several others ongoing under the Zongo Development Fund (ZODF).
The historic deprivation and lack of development in Zongo Communities, he said, are issues government is determined to address in a sustainable, comprehensive and equitable manner.
He added that expanding access to quality and relevant education is pivotal to the transformation that government is determined to engender in Zongo communities.
“The Zongo Development Fund is the frontline agency and vehicle through which government seeks to ensure the realisation of the development objectives relating to Zongo communities.
“Since Ghana attained independence, no budget has ever been deliberately allocated for the development of Zongo communities. The establishment of the fund dedicated to Zongo communities is indisputably unprecedented,” he said.
Some of the projects the fund has so far undertaken include the construction of modern football fields, educational facilities and related resources, supply and installation of streetlights.
Others include the provision of mechanised water systems, construction of roads, educational training centres, and recreational and health facilities, among others.
“These obvious interventions by the fund are commendable efforts aimed at bridging the yawning gap in the educational fortunes of Zongo communities and other communities,” he added.
Dr. Bawumia also noted that not only has government implemented a comprehensive development of educational infrastructure in Zongo communities, but it has also intervened positively by improving health facilities, sanitation, human resource development through skills training and educational grants, and improving the ambience, visibility and security in Zongo communities, in Accra.
“Indeed, communities such as New Fadama and Madina have witnessed a remarkable transformation in social, recreational and sporting activities through the construction of Community Sports and Social Centres (Astro turfs).
“These centres have provided a new fillip to the lives of the inhabitants of these communities,” he said.
The Vice President, who was speaking at the commissioning of the Tunga Islamic Community School in the Ablekuma West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, assured more development for Zongo communities in the years ahead.
“In this regard, government has, through the Zongo Development Fund, initiated the construction of one Model Senior High School in each of the 16 regions. We are working assiduously to ensure the commencement of three of the schools this year,” he stated.
He urged teachers, students and people to maintain the newly commissioned facility while asking them to work hard toward improving academic standards to justify the investment made.
The Chief Executive of ZODF, Arafat Sulemana Abdulai, acknowledged the work being done by the fund to contribute to the development of Zongo communities in the country.
The Ablekuma West Municipal Director of Education also encouraged parents in the community to take advantage of the newly completed facility to enrol their children.
Meanwhile, he assured that the facility will be put to good use, and asked benevolent individuals in the community to complement government’s effort by supporting education within the municipality.
