Saka Homes MD breaks ground for 250-bed dormitory at his alma mater Achimota School
The Managing Director of Saka Homes and an old student of Achimota School, Ebenezer Saka Addo-Mensah, has cut sod for the construction of a 250-bed boys' boarding house at his alma mater under the Ghana Education Trust Fund's (GETFund) Education Financing and Partnership Initiative (EFPI).
The project, launched at a ceremony on the school's campus on Thursday, August 6, forms part of efforts to expand boarding infrastructure and improve student accommodation at Achimota School.
The facility will include dormitories, courtyards, housemasters' accommodation, a common room, a chop box room, washrooms and landscaped lawns.
The design also incorporates disability access, natural ventilation, solar power, recreational spaces and environmentally sustainable features.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Saka Addo-Mensah said the project fulfilled a long-held dream of giving back to the school that shaped him and encouraged current students to pursue their ambitions with determination.
"I dreamt that one day I will succeed, and I will be able to give back to the school," he said.
He expressed optimism that the dormitory would be completed ahead of schedule and appealed to the public to continue supporting Saka Homes, saying the company's success enables it to invest in educational development.
In his welcome address, Headmaster Ebenezer Acquaah described the project as timely, noting that increasing student enrolment has placed enormous pressure on the school's existing dormitories.
"This new boys' dormitory block comes at the most opportune time. It is more than bricks and mortar. It is a home where future national leaders will sleep, dream, study and be shaped," said the Headmaster.
On his part, the Board Chairman of Achimota School, Emeritus Professor Ernest Aryeetey, said the new boys' boarding house would help restore the school's founding vision as a truly co-educational institution by addressing the shortage of accommodation for male students.
He explained that even though the number of girls admitted to the school has grown significantly over the years, limited boarding facilities for boys have constrained efforts to maintain gender balance.
"We are simply trying to make it possible for as many boys as many girls to be in this school, so we live by what we were creating—a co-education institution where both boys and girls have an equal opportunity," said the Board Chairman.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Administrator of GETFund, Paul Adjei, said the project reflects the Fund's renewed commitment to mobilising private sector support for educational infrastructure through the Education Financing and Partnership Initiative.
He praised Mr. Saka Addo-Mensah's generosity and described the donation as an example of how alumni can contribute meaningfully to national development.
"The EFPI represents a strategic platform to mobilise additional resources, attract private sector investment, deepen philanthropic engagement, and foster innovative partnerships that complement public financing of education," he noted.
Delivering the keynote address, Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu announced that he had directed GETFund to earmark a minimum of GHS250 million in its 2027 funding formula to expand infrastructure in selected Category A senior high schools.
He also reiterated government's commitment to increasing investment in education, including expanding secondary school infrastructure and improving foundational learning.
"This country can only develop if we invest more in education," said the Minister.