Babianeha (B/A) Aug. 16, GNA - Three farming communities along the Ghana-Cote d'Ivoire border in the Dormaa municipality now have access to Information Communication Technology (ICT) and a Community Library.
The beneficiary communities of the two projects, which cost GHC 7000, are Babianeha, Benekrom and Kofibadukrom.
The library containing a variety of books and the ICT Centre, which has 11 lap-top computers and accessories including modems, were established by a team of five under-graduates from Michigan Technological University who spent five weeks in Ghana as part of the university's Overseas Development Project.
The team's visit was facilitated by Dr. Emmanuel Opuni-Frimpong, a citizen of Babianeha who works with the Forestry Research Unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research CSIR) in Kumasi.
Commissioning the facilities, Nana Nkumsa Agyemang 111, chief of Babianeha, expressed appreciation to Michigan Technological University for the project, which the youth would benefit from immensely.
He noted that the facilities would assist Junior High School (JHS) graduates in accessing their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results on-line.
Nana Nkumsa told the visiting undergraduates that the communities would not only utilize the facilities to their utmost benefit but would also maintain them for their longer lifespan.
He commended Dr. Opuni-Frimpong for the initiative and appealed to citizens of the three beneficiary communities at home and abroad to take a cue from the university's benevolence and contribute towards the growth of education and help improve the standard of living of the people.
Nana Nkumsa expressed gratitude to Dormaa Municipal Assembly for donating materials towards the construction of the two projects.
In a speech read for him, Mr. Vincent Oppong Asamoah, Dormaa Municipal Chief Executive, appealed to parents to ensure their children patronized the ICT Centre regularly.
He reminded parents and traditional authorities that the establishment of ICT and other education-oriented infrastructure would come to nothing if children's interest in education was low as a result of their obsession to leave for other countries in search for greener pastures.
The MCE called for parental guidance and counselling as an effective tool in training their children well at home to become responsible adults in future.
A representative of the undergraduates, Mr. Timothy Kwame Veverica, lauded the warm reception the team received in the host communities and would share this impression with their colleagues back at home in the USA.
He announced that the next team would be working to install a power generator for Kwame-Yeboakrom, also in Dormaa Municipality to provide power for the community clinic and a bore-hole.
Mr. Veverica said the provision of solar energy was a vital area the university was considering for investment in rural communities in the rural areas.
