Nandom Assembly commissions three educational projects in Upper West Region
The Nandom Municipal Assembly in Ghana's Upper West Region commissioned three educational buildings on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, completing the projects within a year of awarding the contracts. The new infrastructure includes a Junior High School block at Monyupelle and two Kindergarten blocks at Zimuopare and Bukong.
Nandom Municipal Chief Executive Anthony Ziniel said education and health were identified as priority sectors after he assumed office, which led to the projects being initiated. "On the issue of education, we gave out three educational contracts, two KG blocks and one JHS block, and they are all completed," Ziniel stated.
Ziniel said the projects formed part of the government's broader focus on education. He stressed the importance of providing children with the foundation needed to pursue further education and employment.
The timing of the commissioning matters. Pupils in Bukong had been studying in a room without furniture, forced to sit on logs, blocks and stones. Nandom Municipal Director of Education Pascaline Ninfaakang cited the community as an example of the difficult conditions that prompted the new build.
"When the environment is not conducive, surely it affects teaching and learning negatively," Ninfaakang said. She added that the new facilities could motivate more parents to enrol their children in community schools.
Ninfaakang said the new infrastructure would positively impact teaching and learning, particularly in communities where pupils previously studied under difficult conditions. But she also identified teacher shortages and inadequate learning resources as continuing challenges in the municipality. Bukong Basic School, for instance, previously had only one teacher until another was recently posted there.
The projects arrive at a moment when rural education infrastructure in the Upper West Region has drawn attention for its gaps. The municipality, which borders Burkina Faso, has long struggled with enrolment retention and basic amenities in its schools.
Member of Parliament for Nandom Richard Kuuire said he works closely with the Assembly to identify and address challenges confronting communities, particularly in education and health. Kuuire noted that although the MP's Common Fund constitutes only five per cent of the Assembly Common Fund, his office has largely directed its resources towards supporting education and health-related needs.
"My MP's Common Fund is mainly used for the health sector and the education sector," Kuuire indicated.
The MP's office would continue to collaborate with the Nandom Assembly to support educational activities and projects in the municipality, he added.
The commissioning ceremony drew local officials and education leaders to the three sites. The Monyupelle JHS block and the two KG blocks at Zimuopare and Bukong were the only educational contracts awarded in the current cycle, according to Ziniel. All three were completed and handed over within the one-year window.
For the pupils at Bukong, the change is immediate. They move from logs and stones to proper classrooms. For the municipality, the question of teacher supply remains open. Ninfaakang's own words on the subject suggest the buildings alone do not solve the problem.
The Assembly's next move, per Ziniel's remarks, is to keep education and health as the sectors that receive priority treatment. Kuuire, for his part, said his office would continue to direct its share of the Common Fund toward the same two areas.
According to 3News.
