Stakeholders in education in the Bono Region have expressed displeasure over the two-decade-long stalling of the Bono Regional Library project.
They said the government’s inability to complete the project is worrying, as it has affected academic performance in the region negatively.
Consequently, they are urging the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Library Authority (GLA) to complete, as a matter of urgency, work on the project which began in 2002, scheduled to be completed in 18 months.
The site is an acre of land near the Catering Rest House in Sunyani. It was initiated by the late MP for Sunyani East Joseph Henry Mensah.
On completion, the 600-seater-capacity library will have a children’s reference and lending libraries, information and communications technology centre, conference rooms and a secretariat.
A visit to the site showed that the reading rooms of the huge uncompleted two-storey building – which have been completed – are serving in the meantime as the main library.
This is challenging, as patrons complain that the rooms are not spacious enough, limiting the stock of books available for research. Residents and students in Sunyani spoke to Asaase News about the facility.
A student of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Frank Osei, said that, when completed, the library will help students carry out research work. He explained about the limited space in the improvised library and the small stock of research materials.
The project, which is located strategically in Nkwabeng North, near a small roundabout on the Sunyani-Odumase road, provides easy access to patrons from the eastern and western reaches of Sunyani.
A retired educationist, Michael Nsiah Agyapong, has urged duty bearers to take action on the project. An assessment by the GLA in 2019 estimated it will cost about GHC2 million to complete the project. The regional librarian, Alhassan Abdul-Faili, says that after a stakeholder engagement the contractor has promised to return to site.
Work on the site is about 80% complete.
Reporting by Daniel Donkor in the Bono Region
Asaase Radio 99.5 broadcasts on radio via 99.5 in Accra, 98.5 in Kumasi, 99.7 in Tamale, 100.3 in Cape Coast and on our affiliates Bawku FM 101.5 in Bawku, Beats FM 99.9 in Bimbilla, Somua FM 89.9 in Gushegu, Stone City 90.7 in Ho, Mining City 89.5 in Tarkwa and Wale FM 106.9 in Walewale
Tune in or log on to broadcasts online: www.asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
Live streaming: facebook.com/asaaseradio99.5. Also on YouTube: Asaase Radio Official.
Join the conversation. Call: 020 000 9951 or 059 415 7777. Or WhatsApp: 020 000 0995.
#AsaaseRadio
#TheVoiceofOurLand
#SafeMotorway4All
