Upgrade Bolgatanga Polytechnic to Technical University - Bonaboto Union

By Samuel Akapule

Sumbrungu — The Members of BONABOTO Union have appealed to the government to upgrade the Bolgatanga Polytechnic to a technical university as done to other polytechnics.

The National President of BONABOTO, Dr Andrews Akolaa made the call at the 11th Biennial National Congress held at the campus of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic at the Sumbrungu in the Bolgatanga municipality of the Upper East Region on Saturday.

BONABOTO are citizens from the Bolgatanga, Nabdam, Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO) districts of the Upper East Region and also have branches in all the ten regions of the country, and in the diaspora.

According to BONABOTO, the polytechnic which could not meet the criteria during the last assessment, had now met all the requirements to be upgraded into a technical university.

They mentioned some of the requirements met by the polytechnic as many of its staff obtaining PHDs, equipped workshops, industrial linkages, fleet of vehicles, classrooms and laboratory infrastructure among others.

"By remaining a polytechnic, the school is unable to compete effectively with the rest of the polytechnics that have been upgraded already for quality students and programmes.

"This has already reflected in the reported dwindling numbers in admissions for the polytechnic. The matter requires urgent attention by our Regional Minister to help upgrade and make the polytechnic relevant to produce the right human resource for our region," the National President stressed.

In another development, the national president also called on the government to speed up the payment of contractors who have abandoned their sites of the major trunk roads such as the Navrongo-Sandema- Fumbisi, Bolga -Bawku which have become death traps.

He further expressed concern about successive governments' failure to complete the road linking Bolgatanga to Wa in the Upper West Region and appealed to the ruling government to ensure that the road is fixed.

"These two regional capitals are the only regions in Ghana not linked by tarred roads. I am informed that work has commenced on various sections and we plead with our political leaders to ensure completion," he stressed.

Dr Akolaa also indicated that the association was not happy about the quality of work executed by many of the road contractors and cited some of the roads in the region that were executed in less than two years and were developing what he termed as "potholes and some have no drainage systems to carry running water".

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