When the Yamoransa Model was looking for a location for an ICT center in the Bono East Region, they turned to Mr. Japhet Aryiku, the Executive Director of the Helping Africa Foundation who had developed a close relationship with the Honorable Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare when she had served as the Minister of Tourism under President John Mahama.
The Honorable Elizabeth, who now serves as a member for the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana representing the Techiman North Constituency immediately suggested the Tuobodom location, the district capital for her district.
The local tribal leaders, the Nananom, provided the land for the project, which was central to all the schools in the area. The Honorable Elizabeth agreed to assume the role of Promoter and to build the structure that would house the new ICT Center with the help of the Helping Africa Foundation.
The TECHAide team traveled to the site in February of 2021 to meet with the Honorable Elizabeth, the members of the municipal assembly led by Mr. Joseph K.B. Tang and the members of the education directorate led by Madam Theresa Kpepu. After reviewing 3 possible locations, the team selected the Town Park location as having enough space to accommodate all the components of the Yamoransa Model Lab.
Once the Needs Assessment was completed, the construction of the new building commenced. A delegation consisting of the Friends of the Yamoransa Model and the Friends of the Helping Africa Foundation visited the site in July, and during that visit made suggestions that resulted in expanding the scope of the project which were reviewed with the Honorable Elizabeth. These additions did not result in any delays and the building construction was completed on September 25th. IMPLEMENTERS completed the tech installation on October 26th.
The Center consists of two 25 seat EDULabs, a Maker Space with robotics, VR and 3d printer and a 30-seat conference room with projector, and has an independent solar energy system capable of powering the entire facility. The Center will serve 11 beneficiary schools in the district with 4,351 students, 2,125 males and 2,226 females.
In an email to Mr. Japhet Aryiku just prior to the dedication, the Honorable Elizabeth said the following about the project “No amount of words can describe the way I feel about this project. Trust me you are just God sent. This project has come on time and it is amazing. When I saw the set up, I cried.I asked myself whether I was in Tuobodom. There is more to tell you when we meet. Blessings for you and generations yet unborn”
The Project Dedication ceremony took place on October 29th and was attended by tribal leaders, students, local officials and members of the community.
Speakers included Dr. Deborah Rose, the President of the Helping Africa Foundation, Mr. Japhet Aryiku, the Executive Director of the Helping Africa Foundation, Mr. Kafui Prebbie, the CEO of TECHAiDE, Miss Sylvia Ameyaw Afosaa, a student from the Tuobodom Junior High School, Mrs. Effua A.D. Amuah, Bono East Regional Director, and the Honorable Elizabeth Ofosu-Ajare, the Promoter and Representative of Bono East. The Honorable Elizabeth spoke eloquently and enthusiastically about the project and the benefits that it was bringing to the community.
Other Lab Projects
