Asantehene donates GH¢500,000 as Mfantsipim climaxes 150th anniversary; govt pledges 66-seater bus
CAPE COAST, Nov. 14 – The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, donated GH¢500,000 to Mfantsipim School on Saturday as Ghana’s oldest secondary school climaxed its 150th anniversary celebrations with a grand durbar in Cape Coast, while the government pledged a 66-seater bus for the school.
President John Dramani Mahama donated GH¢100,000 towards the school’s development, Graphic Online reported. Vice-President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang represented the President at the durbar, which brought together traditional rulers, ministers of state, the Methodist Church Ghana, old boys, staff and students.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II was the guest speaker at the event. Before the durbar, he was welcomed to the Emintsimadze Palace in Cape Coast by the Paramount Chief of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta, MyJoyOnline reported.
“True excellence”
Addressing the gathering, the Vice-President described Mfantsipim as occupying a distinguished place in Ghana’s educational history and said the anniversary should prompt a national conversation about the kind of secondary education the country needs for the future.
She cited the allocation of GH¢1.3 billion in the 2027 Budget towards improving secondary education and eliminating the double-track system, as well as efforts to complete stalled school projects.
“May secondary education in Ghana be characterised by true excellence, by which I mean academic achievement, but also strength of character, consistently high standards and, above all, service to others,” she said.
She also drew attention to the school’s motto, “Dwen Hwe Kan”, describing its adoption in Fante during the colonial era as an expression of confidence in African potential.
Bus and assembly hall
The Headmaster, Very Rev. Ebenezer Kobina Aidoo, appealed for a befitting assembly hall, explaining that the school still lacks a facility large enough to hold its entire student body, so most major gatherings are held in the open air and are often disrupted by rain.
“A legacy is not preserved simply because you remember it. It is preserved when we live its values, protect its integrity and pass it on stronger than we received it,” he said.
Responding, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu announced that the government would provide Mfantsipim with a 66-seater bus on or before January 1. He said the school would also benefit from the GH¢250 million GETFund allocation for the 12 best-performing senior high schools in the 2027 funding formula, which would support projects including an assembly hall, dormitories, classrooms, ICT centres and libraries.
Head Boy Isaac Kontan Asare urged students to uphold the school’s standards. “Buildings may change, and trophies will fade, but character, service, fame and love shall endure,” he said.
Mfantsipim was established by the Wesleyan Mission in Cape Coast in 1876 with 17 boys. The anniversary celebrations continue on Sunday, November 15, with a memorial and thanksgiving service at the Wesley Methodist Cathedral and the school quadrangle, GhanaWeb reported.
Source: Graphic Online; MyJoyOnline; GhanaWeb.
Featured image: Main entrance of Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast. Photo: Enock4seth / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
