The construction of eight multi-functional libraries in Ghana has begun courtesy of the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) in partnership with the Rebecca Foundation of Ghana. To support the Foundation’s Learning to Read and Reading to Learn initiatives, ASR Africa had initially awarded the Rebecca Foundation a US$500,000basic education infrastructure grant.
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Udoh Ubon, Managing Director of ASR Africa, spoke at the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of Ghana’s first library in Kwahu Bepong community, Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region, and commended Rebecca Foundation for its contribution as the project’s implementing partner, as well as their commitment to instilling a reading culture in Ghanaian children.
Also, he commended the Kwahu Bepong community for donating the land for the library’s construction and stated that the project’s sustainability framework will safeguard its viability even after the Ghana Library Board for management takes over, adding that construction on the other libraries will begin in the coming weeks in other areas across the country.
Multi-functional libraries project aim
The multi-functional libraries project, according to Udoh, aims to provide Ghanaian children with a competitive advantage in competing with their counterparts around the world. He added that the project marked the beginning of a partnership that would extend beyond the library. He said that they hoped to consider future partnerships on other developmental projects based on what they had seen and how they had responded to the first grant.
The Ghanaian First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who is also the Executive Director of the Rebecca Foundation, thanked Abdul Samad Rabiu and the ASR Africa initiative for helping the Rebecca Foundation in the construction of the library and expressed confidence that the library would soon be operational.
Akosua Newman, Director of Operations for the First Lady’s Office, represented Rebecca Foundation at the ceremony. He claimed that since its inception in 2017, it has carried out several initiatives and infrastructure projects under its Learning to Read and Reading to Learn initiatives in cooperation with the United Nations‘ (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).
