13 Contractors to build 30 schools under MCA

Backpage Wednesday November 26 2008
Story: Samuel Doe Ablordeppey & Leticia Ohene-Asiedu
Thirteen contractors have been awarded a $2.8-million contract from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) to construct 30 schools in five districts in the northern part of the country.
The beneficiary districts are Savelugu Nanton, West Mamprusi, Karaga, Tolon-Kumbungu and the Tamale Metropolitan area.
Disclosing this to the Daily Graphic on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin, said the move was to restore the educational infrastructure which was devastated by the floods which hit the northern part of the country earlier this year.
The districts are within the intervention zone of the $547 million MCA project mark, which is aimed at improving agriculture by providing all the financial, social and economic infrastructure needed to change the economic fortunes of farmers in the country.
The United States Government provided the grant, which is known as the Ghana Compact of the Millennium Challenge Account, being implemented by MiDA, an administrative body set up by an Act of Parliament.
Mr Eson-Benjamin said the project, which forms part of the first phase of school construction, would have the basic amenities such as water reservoirs, information and communication technology (ICT) centres, teachers quarters, canteens, sanitation facilities, electricity and potable water, among others.
This brings to 65 the total number of schools rehabilitated or virtually constructed from scratch by MiDA in the first phase in an effort to provide a better access to education for the children and wards of farmers in the country. In all, about 300 schools will be built in all the 30 districts across the country.
The CEO said after two weeks when the construction sites for the projects would be handed over, the contractors would have six months to deliver the completed schools.
Based upon comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment, a requirement for any project under the MCA programme, some of the schools have been moved from their original locations to escape future floods and disasters.
He said MiDA was also collaborating with some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of American origin to provide some of the additional facilities in some of the intervention zones.
Mr Eson Benjamin advised the contractors to deliver the best of works as a testimony of the fact that the Ghanaian was capable of undertaking quality work.
He said they should bear in mind that any shoddy work would affect the schoolchildren, the country’s future leaders, and eventually impact negatively on the country as a whole.
The Ghana Compact covers agriculture ($241 million), transportation ($143 million) and rural development ($101 million). After the five-year span of the project, it should be able to lift about 230,000 Ghanaians directly from poverty.
The country, almost two years ago, received the go-ahead from the United States government to apply for a grant from its Millennium Challenge Account to execute projects of its choice.
The country responded with a well researched and ambitious proposal to modernise and transform the agricultural sector into a gold mine, as well as improve infrastructure and social services in 30 districts, initially 23 districts, which cost $547 million.
Under the Agriculture Commercialisation component of the project, MiDA has identified over 32,000 individual farmers, out of the 60,000 farmers needed, and grouped them into 640 farmer-based organisations and are being trained to access credit from the over $40-million credit fund within the Compact.