Businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Seidu Agongo, has renovated the Sawaliga Basic School in the Talensi District.
This was after a rainstorm ripped off its roofing, disrupting teaching and learning and risking students’ lives.
The renovated building was handed over to the school management and the community leadership during a ceremony.
Storm
The devastating rainstorm of May 22, 2025, transformed the once-vibrant learning institution into a scene of utter ruin, with mangled roofing sheets, broken wooden beams and scattered debris replacing classrooms where eager young minds once gathered.
The storm’s fury not only prevented children from accessing education but also created a hazardous environment where debris threatened their safety.
Students preparing for their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) found themselves homeless within their own school, forced to study under trees with water-damaged textbooks while teachers struggled to conduct lessons outdoors.
The Assistant Head teacher, Jonas Mbazoyinbil, said watching his students lose hope daily was devastating.
It was impossible to hold meaningful classes, and the children were loitering about,” he said.
The school’s plight reached Mr Agongo through social media posts by youth leader Solomon Zinekena, indicating: “Our children need your help.”
The viral photos profoundly moved Alhaji Agongo, who said that “Those were not just pictures” and that “Those were my own children, Ghana’s future, sitting and loitering around in the dirt and scattered nails.”
Images
Within hours of viewing the images, Alhaji Agongo began mobilising contractors.
“I watched my students lose hope every day,” Mbazoyinbil said, describing the period before Alhaji Agongo’s intervention.
Within three weeks, the damaged school building had been fully rebuilt into a modern, attractive structure.
The new roof shone under the sun, fresh paint brightened the walls and solid floors replaced the debris-littered ground.
Students who had been studying under trees now walked through corridors that gleamed with hope.
The sparkling classrooms with their fresh paint made the learning environment even more comfortable than before.
“Education is the foundation of our nation’s future, and if we can intervene to help, it helps,” Agongo explained, emphasising his commitment to educational development.
The community’s gratitude was overwhelming.
At a traditional ceremony, elders enskinned Alhaji Agongo as their development chief, presenting him with a citation, a sheep and a smock – symbols of their most profound respect and appreciation.