President John Dramani Mahama has announced a series of development interventions aimed at improving living conditions in Zongo communities across Ghana, with a focus on infrastructure, education, healthcare, and job creation.
Speaking at the National Eid al-Adha celebrations at the Black Star Square in Accra on Wednesday, May 27, he said government is stepping up coordinated efforts to close development gaps in Zongo communities.
“I’m particularly pleased with the progress we are making with development initiatives in our Zongo communities,” he said.
He disclosed that road construction and rehabilitation works, along with other infrastructure projects, will soon commence in several Zongo communities nationwide.
According to him, the broader agenda is to strengthen access to basic amenities and improve social and economic conditions.
“We are determined to improve infrastructure, sanitation, education, healthcare and economic opportunities across all Zongos in Ghana,” he said.
On education and employment, the President announced that government, through the Youth Employment Agency (Youth Employment Agency), has recruited 6,000 Arabic teachers to support Islamic education while also creating jobs for young people.
He added that the programme will be expanded in the coming years to bring in more Arabic teachers.
On education infrastructure, President Mahama said government will also begin constructing Community Day STEM secondary schools in densely populated urban areas, many of which are expected to benefit Zongo communities.
He explained that the schools will be sited within communities to make education more accessible and reduce the burden of long-distance travel for students.
“So where we have dense Zongo communities or dense urban populations, we’ll put a modern Community Day E-block STEM secondary school in the community so that the children don’t have to travel far away… They’ll go to school right there within their communities,” he said.
President Mahama expressed appreciation to the Council of Zongo Chiefs for supporting government with land for some of the projects.
He also noted that the Zongo Development Fund and the Soya Fund are being operationalised to support small businesses, especially traders and workers in the informal sector.
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