Two training colleges for nurses and teachers at Bisease in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Region have assumed a constant state of decay after several years of abandonment by the government.
The projects, built-in 2014, and about two kilometres apart, have been completely swallowed by bushes and are fast deteriorating.
The nursing training college has two 12-unit classroom blocks with one completed since 2016, a dormitory each for male and female and an administration block all at various levels of completion.
While some of the buildings have developed cracks, building materials such as iron rods and wood were rotting away, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed on a visit to the site.
The GNA also saw that the completed classroom block had lost some installations with broken louvre blades, damaged door locks and removed fans and would require intensive renovation for use.
At the site of the teacher training college, it was observed that the facility was at a lower stage of completion.
The project, equally bushy, had been fenced with aluminium roofing sheets with heaps of chippings on the site but with no sign of work in progress.
Mr Lawrence N.K Arthur, the Assemblyman for Etsifi Electoral Area in Bisease told the GNA that building materials such as iron rods and electrical cables were being stolen from the sites.
He said the colleges had been reduced to a place of convenience for some residents and a brothel, for others.
Mr Arthur indicated that the inability or refusal of the government to complete the projects was denying them of the social and economic benefits, adding that they were livid and disappointed.
He said the situation had created a big problem for the community and therefore appealed to the government to attend to them.
“The chief, opinion leaders, the youth and the entire community are disappointed. We have organised a number of demonstrations but they have been fruitless.
“We were organising communal labour in the past to clear the bushes in and around the sites but the youth have stopped because they feel it is not worth their efforts,” he said.
He said they petitioned the then Regional Minister, Mr Kwamena Duncan three years ago and he directed the District Chief Executive to act on the projects, but no action had been taken.
Owners of the land where the Nursing training college sits in an interview with GNA threatened to take back their land if the government failed to complete the project.
Mr Kwame Kuruw, speaking on behalf of his family, said that even though their land was acquired illegally, and their farms were destroyed, they did not take any legal action because they knew the projects would be of immense benefit to the community.
“They have really worried us. They destroyed our cocoa, coconut and orange farms, but are refusing to use the land for the intended purpose.
“One of the buildings is complete with fans and lights in it and they could have started the school with about 30 to 50 people to keep the place busy and maintained,” he lamented.
“We will be compelled to take it back if we don’t see any action soon. We are marking time,” he added.
A resident, Ms Aba Frimpomaa who attributed the situation to the extreme politicisation of government projects, believed that the schools would significantly mitigate the level of unemployment in the community.
“Even though Bisease is bigger than our District Capital Ajumako, it is livelier because of the University campus over there. I am appealing to the government to turn attention to the projects and have them completed as soon as practicable,” she said.
Another resident, Mr Atta Kakra averred that Bisease was lacking in development due to the abandonment of various projects.
“I was working as a labourer at the teacher training college site but we were asked to go home on December 20, 2019, and that we will be called later. We have been home since then. We want authorities to come back to the project,” he implored.
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