Gbankor chief commissions solar-powered borehole for Paala community

Gbankor-Naa, a Divisional Chief of the Kaleo Traditional Council, Naa Jamaa Matarah II, known in private life as Emmanuel Mwinila-Youri, has commissioned a solar-powered mechanized borehole for residents of Paala in the Gbankor Electoral Area of the Nadowli-Kaleo District in the Upper West Region.

The intervention, funded through proceeds from Gbankor Bricks and Tiles (GBT) factory, an enterprise he started about a decade ago, is aimed at addressing water challenges facing the community.

Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Naa Jamaa Matarah II called for unity among residents, stressing that unity remains the surest way to achieve progress and development within communities.

He explained that the borehole forms part of efforts by the Gbankor Bricks and Tiles factory to support community development through social interventions.

According to him, part of the proceeds generated from the factory is reinvested into development projects within communities.

“Every single brick that we produce, five pesewas, if we sell one brick, we put five pesewas aside to try and do something back to the community,” he explained.

Naa Jamaa Matarah II, who authored the famous “Daredevils of the Harbour City”, noted the interventions are aimed at enhancing the quality of life of the people and promoting education among children in the communities.

He indicated that the solar-powered system was purposely designed to reduce operational costs while ensuring residents have access to potable water.

Naa Jamaa Matarah II also used the borehole project as an opportunity to promote the environmental and economic benefits of GBT’s clay bricks, urging wider adoption of eco-friendly building materials.

The Assembly Member for the Gbankor Electoral Area, Baga Wilfred, commended the initiative and noted that the project was completed within a short period after the community identified water as its most pressing challenge.

He said the intervention would significantly improve the living conditions of residents, especially women and children who previously spent long hours searching for water.

Meanwhile, the Makajie (women’s leader) of Paala-Gbankor, Janet Kungbalono, expressed gratitude to the Gbankor Bricks and Tiles factory for the intervention.

She said the provision of the mechanized borehole has brought relief to the community, which previously depended on a single borehole despite its growing population.

Madam Kungbalono explained that women and children often spent several hours in queues to access water before the new facility was provided.

She described the intervention as a major relief to the people of the community, stressing that “water is life.”

Madam Kungbalono added that residents, particularly women, children and their husbands, are excited and grateful for what she described as a generous gesture by the Gbankor chief.

“We are happy, very happy. We used to have water challenges, we used to manage just one borehole, we were not many but now, we have out-populated the single borehole. This has come to ease our burden, our long hours of stay and queueing at the borehole,” she said.

Residents celebrated the commissioning ceremony with drumming and dancing to show appreciation for the intervention.