Sam Jonah Builds Domitory Block For Adisadel

Cape Coast, (Central Region) 14 Sept.,

Cape Coast, (Central Region) 14 Sept., A 400 million-cedi dormitory block with a master's bungalow for Adisadel College at Cape Coast, was commissioned yesterday by DR Christina Amoako-Nuama, Minister of Education. The block which can accommodate 100 students, was started about a year ago with funds mobilised from friends by Mr. Sam Jonah, chief executive of the Ashanti Goldfields Company and an old student of the college. The dormitory has been named after the late Thomas Jonah whose sculpture, made by a South African sculptor, Mike Edwards, adorns the frontage of the building. DR Amoako-Nuama commended Mr. Jonah's spirit of support which she said has been made manifest in the development of Adisadel College. She called for more voluntary support to education from individuals and non-governmental sources to supplement government's efforts at providing facilities for quality education. DR Amoako-Nuama said the government alone cannot meet the needs of the country's educational institutions, consequently, education financing has become a responsibility which the government will share with all stakeholders. She said the government is endeavouring, within budgetary constraints, to provide the necessary facilities for quality education and will therefore welcome any assistance by organisations and individuals. "Such support could be in the form of rehabilitation of school facilities, including even access roads and where facilities are lacking, completely new projects may be undertaken after the fashion of Thomas Jonah House", she said. DR Amoako-Nuama said her ministry sees the provision of the dormitory block as a 'monumental height' to which an individual citizen or organisation can go to support the government in providing adequate amenities and facilities in institutions. Mr. Jonah said in his efforts to mobilise funds for the project, he turned to some people he knew in various important institutions world-wide, and to his delight they considered the project worthwhile. He expressed gratitude to Norton Rose, a British legal firm, Merrill Lynch, an American merchant bank, HSBC James Capel, United Kingdom-based investment house, Deutsche Morgan Grentell, another investment and merchant bank and RUC, a South African mining and contracting firm, whose contributions complemented that of his own family to complete the project. Mr. Jonah said he named the dormitory after his father because of the ideals he stood for such as "self-reliance, perseverance, discipline, benevolence and the need to respect the views of others, regardless of their background". Mr. Ato Ampiah, Managing Director of Ghamot Company, who chaired the function, said a five-member building committee for the project of which he was the chairman mobilised four million cedis to provide furniture for the block.