Bono Regional Minister Joseph Addae Akwaboa has commended Jaman South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Siata Watara for replacing a school block standing for 65 years at Kofiko, a suburb of Drobo in the Jaman South Municipal capital.
The commendation carries a dimension that sets this project apart from routine infrastructure delivery. Watara attended the same Kofiko primary school as a child and has now, in her capacity as MCE, overseen construction of a new three-unit classroom block on that same site, completing a circle that local stakeholders described as both symbolic and deeply personal.
Minister Akwaboa flagged the condition of the old structure as a serious and active safety threat, noting that teachers and pupils had been risking their lives using the building for daily instruction. The new block eliminates that hazard entirely.
“It was urgent to replace the old classroom block with the new one,” Watara said, adding that giving back to the people who shaped her was a responsibility she felt strongly.
Headteacher Madam Akrasi Adjei Doris confirmed the severity of conditions inside the old building, saying pupils had been sharing the structure with predators and reptiles before the intervention. Tutor Madam Faustina Adjei said both students and teachers had been exposed to a hazardous environment for years and praised the MCE for acting with foresight where previous administrations had not.
The Kofiko classroom block was among selected projects the regional minister reviewed during the government’s “Accounting to the People” initiative, a structured accountability exercise through which Akwaboa has been moving district by district across the Bono Region to assess infrastructure delivery and engage community stakeholders directly.
The minister described Watara’s decision to invest in her hometown and alma mater as the kind of grounded, community-centred leadership other local government executives should take note of.
