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Upper East Regional Minister Pays Courtesy Call on ActionAid Ghana to explore more development collaboration in Education and Social Justice.

John Nkaw

The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Akamugri Donatus Atanga, has paid a courtesy call on the Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, Mr. John Nkaw, at the National Office in Accra to explore stronger collaboration in improving education in the Upper East Region.

The meeting focused on ways to expand educational infrastructure and strengthen learning outcomes in rural communities. A key proposal under discussion was the construction of model schools with modern facilities to advance quality education at the basic level.

Hon. Atanga reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that children in the region have access to a conducive learning environment.

ActionAid Ghana welcomed the partnership, emphasizing its long-standing commitment to working with marginalized communities to improve education and create opportunities for children and young people.

“ActionAid began its journey in Ghana from Bawku in the Upper East Region, and it remains a region of deep importance to us. We are excited to strengthen our collaboration with the government to scale up our impact and ensure no child is left behind,” said John Nkaw, Country Director of ActionAid Ghana.

35 Years of Impact in the Upper East

ActionAid Ghana started operations in Bawku in 1990 and has since expanded to 11 out of 16 regions nationwide. In the Upper East Region, the organization has rolled out transformative development programmes in Bawku, Pusiga, Binduri, Nabdam, Talensi, Tongo, Bolgatanga, Kassena-Nankana, and Builsa districts.

Key achievements include:

  1. Constructing over 50 schools in rural communities over the last 35 years, with recent projects in Nandon, Binduri, Talensi, and Pusiga.
  2. Establishing the Pusiga Girls’ Model School and the Yakote Model School in Bawku Municipality.
  3. Setting up Early Childhood Development Centres and kindergartens to strengthen foundational learning.
  4. Distributing over 5,000 child-friendly desks to schools across the region.
  5. To complement infrastructure development, AAG has supported capacity building, with the focus of empowering Teachers, Parents, and Girls. This has been achieved through.
  6. Training over 500 teachers in gender-responsive pedagogy to improve teaching and classroom inclusivity.
  7. Empowering over 1,000 Parent Associations (PAs) to actively participate in school governance.
  8. Establishing Girls’ Clubs in schools to build leadership skills and provide mentorship on sexual and reproductive health (SRH).

Over the past three decades, AAG has also provided critical learning resources by stocking model school libraries with over 5,000 books and has addressed barriers to education by constructing mechanized boreholes and girl-friendly washrooms to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools.

Looking Ahead

As ActionAid marks 35 years of driving transformational change in Ghana, the courtesy call highlights the vital role of partnerships between government and civil society in advancing equitable and inclusive education. Through renewed collaboration, ActionAid Ghana has pledged its support to the Upper East Regional Minister to further strengthen educational opportunities for children across the region.