President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned the Yamoransa Model Lab 13 ICT Centre in Damango, describing the facility as a major step toward strengthening science and technology education in underserved communities.
The ICT centre, established through a partnership involving the Helping Africa Foundation and local stakeholders, is expected to support digital learning and innovation among students in the Savannah Region.
Addressing guests at the commissioning ceremony, President Mahama praised philanthropist Daniel Rose and the Helping Africa Foundation for their dedication to improving lives through education and healthcare initiatives.
“The gentleman Mr. Japheth Aryiku referred to, Mr. Daniel Rose, is a very elderly man. But when you meet him, he is so full of life and you wouldn’t believe that he’s rather closer to the terminal age of his years in this world than the beginning,” the President said.
“Maybe because of that, he wants to do as much as he can in the years left for him, being the reason he’s always in a hurry,” he added.
President Mahama disclosed that his relationship with Daniel Rose began through the work of the Lordina Foundation led by First Lady Lordina Dramani Mahama.
“I got to know him through my wife, Lordina. They started the project with the Lordina Foundation by providing medical equipment to deprived rural hospitals,” he stated.
According to the President, the interventions included the donation of autoclaves, incubators, heat lamps, maternity beds and delivery beds to rural health facilities across the country.
“They provided autoclaves, provided incubators, heat lamps, maternity beds, delivery beds to a lot of very rural deprived communities,” he said.
President Mahama explained that the idea for the Damango ICT centre emerged after discussions with Japheth Aryiku and the Helping Africa Foundation following the completion of a similar project in Techiman North.
“They had just finished the one in Techiman North and they showed me the design and said they wanted to build another one here, which they wanted me to be the promoter,” he noted.
“What you do is you initiate their building and then they will bring all the needed equipment. That is how come this Damango programme was born,” he added.
The President also paid tribute to the late Alhaji Muniru Limuna and former Damango District Chief Executive Ali Kassim for their contributions toward the execution of the project.
“Alhaji Muniru Limuna and former DCE Ali Kassim were my main agents for executing this project,” he recalled.
President Mahama revealed that despite initiating the project, the commissioning ceremony marked his first visit to the facility since construction began. “We started it with a foundation and I never stepped here since the project commenced. This is my first time of seeing it myself,” he said.
He further noted that the ICT centre aligns with government’s B-STEM programme, which seeks to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education among young people. “It fits perfectly into government’s programme of B-STEM,” the President stated.
“Yesterday, we launched the B-STEM school in Sawla, where we are teaching our children science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
President Mahama said the new ICT lab would provide students with opportunities to sharpen their digital and technological skills.
“These labs allow them to come and continue to hone their skills, especially in information and communications technology,” he said.
He also highlighted the centre’s renewable energy system, describing it as a “green lab” powered entirely by solar energy.
“I am also happy that it is what we call a green lab because it is running on solar energy. We won’t have the issue where NEDCO comes and cuts them off because they haven’t paid their electricity bill,” he remarked.
President Mahama called for deeper collaboration between government, district assemblies and development organisations to expand similar projects nationwide.
“We can dovetail this into our ICT programme where we partner with the district assemblies to invest in putting up the building and the Helping Africa Foundation bringing the equipment to install in the buildings,” he said.
He officially commissioned the facility by declaring: “I declare the Yamoransa Model Lab 13 ICT Centre here in Damango duly commissioned.”
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
