Caption: Udoh Ubon, Managing Director of ASR Africa (sitting left), and Akosua Newman, Director of Operations for the Office of the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo after the signing of the grant agreement to build eight multi-functional libraries in schools across Ghana.
Barely a few months after Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) awarded the Rebecca Foundation of Ghana a US$500,000 inaugural Africa-focused basic education infrastructure grant to support its “Learning to Read and Reading to Learn initiative,” both organisations have announced a partnership for the construction of eight multi-functional libraries in schools across the country.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of the first library in Kwahu Bepong community, Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region in Ghana, Udoh Ubon, Managing Director of ASR Africa, commended Rebecca Foundation for its role as the implementing partner of the project, and for their commitment to building a reading culture amongst children in Ghana.
Udoh also appreciated the community for providing land for the construction of the library, assuring that the sustainability framework of the project will ensure its sustenance even after it is handed over to the Ghana Library Board for management. He further added that construction of the other libraries will commence over the next few weeks in other communities across Ghana.
According to Udoh, “this modern library project seeks to provide Ghanaian children a comparative advantage in competing with their peers all over the world. “This is the beginning of a partnership that will go beyond the library. I can assure you that with what we have seen and with how you have responded to this first grant, we intend to consider future partnerships on other developmental projects”.
On her part, Ghana’s first lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who is also an Executive Director of the Rebecca Foundation, thanked Abdul Samad Rabiu, chairman of BUA Group and his ASR Africa initiative for supporting the Foundation to build the libraries, and expressed confidence that before long, the library will be up and running.
Caption: Udoh Ubon, Managing Director of ASR Africa (2nd Left), Akosua Newman, Director of Operations for the Office of the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo (Left) and other top representatives of ASR Africa and Rebecca Foundation at the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of the first of eight libraries across schools in Ghana.
Represented by Akosua Newman, Director of Operations for the Office of the First Lady, she said that since inception in 2017, Rebecca Foundation had carried out several programmes and infrastructural projects under its “Learning to Read Reading to Learn” initiative in line with the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. With our partners from ASR Africa, the Rebecca foundation looks forward to building more of these libraries in other communities”. Rebecca Akufo-Addo added. s
