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Ghana National Gas Company Limited’s contribution to education in this country is one of the greatest achievement in the economy of Ghana’s development and it is key to the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ben Asante, the Board, Management and Workers of the Gas company.

Education has always proven to be a very important tool for development in any country.

In Ghana, however, although the government has taken steps to ensure the realizations of quality education, there is still a lot of work to be done. Ghanaian educational sector is facing several challenges, especially in rural areas and some cities in Ghana.

In the north and upper regions of Ghana, many villages experience their own obstacles in the educational sector. Without looking at the management side, the basic facilities for children to access the education are very poor and deplorable in some communities.

Lack of school building and its facilities, lack of human resources to fill the minimum criteria of the school, long distances between homes and school, lack of books/resources, library facilities, computer lab, etc. have turned out to be the obstacles for communities in rural areas in Ghana.

Ghana National Gas Company is contributing to the educational sector of this country in the area of school structures, teachers’ quarters, dormitory for both boys and girls, science lab, support for people to further their education either in Ghana and beyond, educational research, renovation of school facilities and many more.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Gas Company, Dr. Ben Asante, and the vision of the board is to see quality education being provided for the people of Ghana. Most of the existing schools are not well maintained; therefore, the buildings are not safe enough for children and teachers to conduct the teaching and learning process. Some of the schools have no room for the basic school components to manage the resources and its facilities.

The distance between school and home is also a challenge. It is relatively long and no means of transportation are available to facilitate the students to school.

Ghana’s current education policy includes two years of Kindergarten (KG) as part of its commitment to Free and Compulsory Basic Education (F-CUBE) and places it ahead of the curve compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Almost all the students from kindergarten to primary school spend hours to go to school by foot. Since 2000, the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service (GES) has actively worked towards universal access to basic education, and boasts of gross enrolment over 100 per cent and achievement of gender parity in primary and relatively more modest gains in secondary education.

Ghana Gas has also partnered established training institutions in the Western Region including Takoradi Technical University and Kikam Technical Institute to provide industry training in Operations and Maintenance (O&M), Gas Processing, Transportation and Welding.

This will increase the opportunities for local residents to gain employment in the oil and gas service industry. Based on the success and measurable impact of Ghana Gas’s training programmes and partnership schemes within the community, the Gas Company hopes to further increase investment into educational and training programmes by offering scholarships to gifted students both young and old.

Ghana has made substantial progress in advancing children’s access to basic education over the past years. The number of primary schools and overall enrollment at the kindergarten and primary levels have increased by over 100 percent, with gender parity being achieved at all levels of pre-tertiary education. While access to education has improved, providing quality instruction remains a challenge and many children fail to acquire basic literacy skills at the end of primary school.

According to a report in USAID 2014, learning activity has focused on improving reading outcomes for children in grades KG2 to Basic 3, using a phonics-based approach. The education system also experienced significant disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which halted in-person learning from March 2020 to January 2021, during which 4.5 million students engaged in remote learning. One will say that affected the educational sector whiles others believe it was an eye opener since education can also be acquired through a distance learning process.

How effective is the distance learning? Did Covid-19 affected Ghana’s educational sector negatively? Ghana Gas will continue to support the children of this country with educational infrastructure, books and other learning materials to aid education.

In Ashanti Region, Sekruwa Mampong to be precise, the Gas Company has constructed 10-bedroom teacher’s quarters at Sekruwa to give quality education in the community. Construction of a six-unit classroom block at Sekyere Kumawu and Tamale metropolis (Mangul Kukuo in The Northern Region) have been in force by the gas company.

Another six-unit classroom block and a library at Diani in West Mamprusi (Kukuo Janga) in the North-East Region of Ghana has been constructed. In the Keta Municipal Assembly, the municipality has benefited from Ghana Gas in the area of teacher’s quarters at Kedzi. In Oti Region, Krachi East Municipal Assembly to be precise, there has been the construction of a two-unit kindergarten block with ancillary facility at Wurubuw at Tumikope and Bumbusu. A three-unit classroom block at Three-Town Senior High School at Ketu South has also been completed. In Upper West, Wa municipal has benefited from the gas company with a three-unit classroom block for Charingu school for pupils to ease their burden. There is also the construction of a three-unit classroom block at Charia, a three-unit classroom block at Kanpaha, construction of 1NR compound and 1-bedroom semi-detach residential accommodation at Kadia.

Not only that, in the Upper East Region, the following have been constructed by the gas company: A three-unit classroom block at Sanhinga school and the construction of three-unit classroom block at Piissi School. In the Greater Accra enclave, Tema West Municipal has benefited with a school canteen at Mexico Basic School, another school canteen at Adjei Kojo, Klagon and Sakumono complex school. Akuapim North in the Eastern Region has seen the construction of a 4-unit semi-detached teachers’ quarters at Okrankwadwo, six-unit classroom block at Ayemesu. In Tano South Municipal, construction of a six-unit classroom block at Derma Community JHS has been completed. In Ahafo’s Asutifi North district, there has been the construction of 8-unit teachers’ accommodation facility at Ntotroso.

At Bono, Sunyani East specifically, the gas company has constructed a three-unit classroom block, Techiman South has seen a three-unit classroom block at New Krobo, St. Dominic JHS and a three-unit classroom block at Aworopata. In Western North’s Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai, a single-storey three-unit classroom block at Mframakrom and a three-unit classroom block at Fahiakobo have been constructed. A six-unit classroom block at Aowin Municipal Assembly has also been constructed.

In Sekondi-Takoradi, there is a six-unit classroom block with ancillary concrete slab roofs while a rehabilitation and completion of a six-unit classroom block with reading room, assembly room and ancillary facilities at Benyi has been done. An 11-unit classroom block and library for Philip Quacoe Anglican School at Cape Coast has been done by Ghana Gas, a 12-seater toilet facility at Mfantsiman Senior High School at Saltpond, all in the central region, have been done. In Assin South District, the construction of one-bedroom teachers’ bungalow at Assin Jakai. The construction of 8NO.1-bedroom teachers’ quarters at Daaho-Mampong in the Ashanti Region. The rehabilitation of a six-unit classroom primary block for St. Patrick’s Catholic School at Half Asini and the construction of a six-unit classroom block in Ellembelle are examples in the Western Region. The construction of ICT and library at St. Augustine R/C School at Berekum East in the Bono Region and Mfantseman municipal’ssix-unit classroom block at Nkwantakesedo Nkramofokrom are also evidence of the gas company’s contribution in education.

Ghana Gas led by Dr. Ben KD Asante and the board of the Gas company are proud to assist and support the educational system of this country and make sure every Ghanaian gets quality and solid educational background.

Continuing in Tamale, the Northern Region capital, the gas company has supported a six-unit classroom block, in West Mamprusi, a four-unit bedroom teachers’ quarters and at Livim, a six-unit classroom block to the community.

A six-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities (semi-detached teachers’ quarters) at Kvipanduninary and supply at Kidendilenpa in the Savannah Region of the country. At Shiashie in Accra, Faith Presbyterian Basic School boasts of its first phase of a 12-unit classroom block as seen to ease the congestion of school pupil’s and a reduction of burden on the community in the area of education. Construction of dormitory block for Keta Senior High Technical School is done by the gas company while a two-storey 12-unit classroom block has been constructed in Karaga in the Northern Region. In the Eastern Region, Aburi Girls SHS’s Assembly Hall has been renovated to a befitting standard for the students by the gas company while Nadowli-Kaleo District has Sombo Senior High School benefitting from a six-unit classroom block.

The gas company has supported the Akropong School for the Blind with a computer laboratory and building a modern gate for the school. At Nkroful, there is a modern toilet facility at Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School while there is a construction of a three-unit classroom block in the Wa Municipal Assembly in the Upper West. The office of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has been renovated by the gas company.

At the Obiri Yeboah Senior High School, an Assembly Hall has been renovated while a 12-unit classroom block has been constructed for the Assin Akropong. Wa Technical Institute has benefited from a classroom block, a three-unit classroom block has been handed over at Gbmgbem while Zeng School has been renovated by the gas company. University of Ghana, (UG), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Cape Coast (UCC) and University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) have all received support from the gas company for a study project.

Ghana Gas contribution to education in this country is progressive thanks to the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of the Gas Company.