To facilitate the resumption of schools in the Mepe traditional area, the epicentre of the Akosombo Dam flood disaster, the Mepe Development Association (MDA) has relocated over 400 displaced persons from various safe havens, including St. Kizito Senior Technical School.
The displaced persons, most of whose homes were destroyed by the flood, have been moved to Mepe-Degorme JHS and other accommodation facilities provided by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Hlordzi Dodzi, an indigene of the community.
According to the Chairman of the MDA, Fabian Mawulenu Kojo, this exemplary show of leadership by the Association saved St. Kizito School from collapsing and prevented the disruption of the academic calendar.
Stakeholder engagement towards relocation
Following a resolution by community members, traditional leaders, and other interest groups at a stakeholders’ forum organized by the MDA to address some fallouts of the flood disaster on businesses, housing, health, and education, among others, the MDA set up a five-member Relocation Committee to recommend the way forward on the resumption of schools.
The Committee’s work spanned across the six (6) safe havens that were occupied by displaced persons during the height of the disaster: St Kizito Senior High Technical School, Holy Christ D.A. School, Mepe Presby Primary, D. A. JHS, Mepe Roman Catholic Primary and Junior High Schools
The Relocation Committee recommended, among other things, the renovation of Mepe-Degorme JHS, an abandoned school block, for the relocation of the displaced persons to make way for the reopening of St. Kizito and other basic schools for the resumption of academic activities.
Renovation of Mepe-Degorme JHS; Communal Labour
In support of the committee’s work, the MDA organized communal labor with the participation of chiefs and people of the community to clear weeds around the designated facilities to pave the way for the renovation works to be completed on time.
“We (the MDA) engaged contractors to do electrical, masonry, plumbing, carpentry, painting works, among others, and completed the renovation of Degorme JHS in record time at a huge cost. We also provided logistical support in moving all the displaced persons to the new facilities. We did all these without any support from the state or its allied institutions.”
Visit of US Ambassador, Education Minister, and others
The US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, traveled to the new Mepe-Degorme JHS safe haven to meet the displaced persons and other stakeholders to discuss avenues of supporting the affected communities. The USAID and UNICEF, through the Akosombo Safe Activity, are providing essential school supplies and tents for temporary school structures, among others, at $500,000 to aid teaching and learning for children in communities affected by the flood.
The MDA Chairman commended the government of the United States of America through USAID and UNICEF for their kind support.
“We find it rather strange that after expending monies on the renovation of the Degorme safe haven and still owing some contractors and leading all the efforts of the relocation exercise, the MDA was not informed about the visit of the US ambassador, the Education Minister Yaw Adutwum, MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, NADMO, and other dignitaries to our facility. Not even the Mankralo of the Mepe traditional area, Togbe Korsi Nego VI, who speaks on behalf of the community, was aware of the program,” Fabian bemoans.
The MDA made frantic efforts to meet the education minister on the resumption of schools in the Mepe traditional area by moving displaced persons from St. Kizito and other schools used as safe havens, without success. This was after the minister visited Mepe and assured the MDA of his commitment to addressing all education-related challenges associated with the flood.
“When the education minister announced at the Inter-Ministerial press briefing on 22nd November 2023 the reopening of schools in Mepe, there was no plan in place by his ministry, NADMO, nor any other state agencies to relocate the displaced persons from the various schools, including St. Kizito,” he stressed.
“Neither the District Assembly nor NADMO has engaged the MDA to begin the process to formally hand over the Degorme safe haven to them. We are still managing this safe haven with over 400 people, albeit with so many challenges. The existing structures still need some upgrades, our people still need food and other relief items,” he added.
The MDA chairman said his outfit’s doors are still open to engaging the education minister, NADMO, VRA, and other stakeholders on the way forward in managing the fallouts of the flood disaster.
The Mepe Development Association (MDA) is the administrative organ of Mepe in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region in charge of social and development issues. The MDA, together with the Mepe Traditional Council, works with state and non-state actorsto engineer the development of the traditional area with a population of over 16,000. The MDA was established in 1955 by the Mepe Traditional Council and has worked with all governments since the Independence of Ghana.
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