Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources and Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim, visited Bandaman Senior High Technical School to inspect ongoing GETFund projects, stressing that investment in educational infrastructure is key to building the human capital needed for sustainable development in the district.
Speaking during the inspection, Ibrahim said Banda must move beyond its reliance on agriculture and deliberately invest in education and skills development. “We are in the era of knowledge capital, where the human resources of the place, of the people, are the greatest asset that we have,” he said.
He cited the Bui Hydro Dam project, which has acquired about 44,000 acres of land in Banda, as a catalyst for change. The dam’s construction has displaced farming communities, making it even more important for residents to gain the technical and scientific skills needed to benefit from the project’s opportunities. Although the Bui Power Authority employs around 644 workers, only a few are from the district, and Ibrahim warned that without proper training the project’s long‑term sustainability could be at risk.
To address this gap, Ibrahim highlighted the government’s focus on secondary and technical education, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The upgraded school will produce electrical and mechanical engineers, doctors, accountants and other professionals who can secure employment in major institutions and projects within and beyond the district. “Now that government is building a modern STEM science laboratory for us, we have no excuse. We just have to strengthen the basic education to make sure that we produce teachable children for the secondary school,” he added.
Bandaman Senior High Technical School, established in 2010, currently serves 687 students but faces infrastructure shortages, including an abandoned E‑Block and a cramped dining hall that forces students to break into multiple batches during breaks. Headmaster Ebenezer Kofi Latah noted that the girls’ dormitory is also at full capacity.
Under GETFund’s New Targeted Emergency Projects, nine major projects are underway at the school: a 2,000‑seat dining hall and kitchen, two two‑storey dormitory blocks for boys and girls, seven two‑unit semi‑detached teachers’ bungalows, a three‑bedroom headmaster’s bungalow, a three‑storey 18‑unit classroom block, a two‑storey science laboratory, a two‑storey administration and library block, science laboratory equipment, boreholes and external works including a gatehouse. Zonal Consultant Simon Mawuli Sabakpo said some teachers’ bungalows could be handed over within a month, with other facilities expected to be completed ahead of schedule.
Headmaster Latah expressed optimism, saying the new science laboratory would be fully equipped and that the infrastructure development would relieve the school’s current pressures and allow it to admit more students. “We really pray that the project will be completed on time, so that the school can admit more, and then it will facilitate teaching and learning,” he said.
Acting President of the Banda Traditional Council, Nana Peh Aboatea II, urged Banda natives, both within and outside the district, to support efforts to improve educational infrastructure in the area.
With these investments, Ibrahim is confident that Bandaman Senior High Technical School could become one of the leading second‑cycle institutions in the region, transforming the district’s prospects for the future.
