BOST donates 450 desks to Accra Academy SHS

The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST), as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), has donated 450 brand new desks to Accra Academy Senior High School.

Speaking at a brief ceremony to mark the presentation of the desks on Friday, June 9, 2023, the Corporate Communications and External Affairs Director of BOST, Marlick Adjei, said the state-owned company, through this gesture, is seeking to fulfill its obligations of giving back to society and helping with the development of human resources in the country.

“BOST is 100% owned by the government and people of Ghana, and we believe it is the duty of entities owned by the people of the Republic to contribute to the future of the country. In our effort to contribute to national advancement, we recognize that human resources are the ultimate resource of every nation, and when properly developed, they propel the nation towards development," he noted.

The Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South, Dakoa Newman, who was instrumental in getting BOST to respond to requests to aid Accra Academy, expressed appreciation to the management of the company, including the Chief Executive Officer, Obodai Provencal.

“I would like to say a big thank you to Mr. Obodai Provencal for making this donation happen today. It is necessary for all organizations to give back to their communities," the MP said.

The President of the Accra Academy Old Boys Association (AOBA), Kofi Amoah, while praising the CEO of BOST for overseeing the donation, called on other members of the association and corporate institutions to emulate BOST's gesture.

“Our founders made history back in 1931, and with what we are seeing today, Edwin Obodai Provencal is also writing history. We stand on that to appeal to Old Boys. We have Old Boys in other corporate bodies that we are speaking to. Hopefully, we will get a number of them to help us write history," he said.

The president further urged the school to ensure the proper maintenance of the donated desks.

The headmaster of Accra Academy, Emmanuel Ofoe Fiemawhle, expressed gratitude to BOST and AOBA for championing the donation.

He acknowledged the significance of the donation in light of the challenges confronting the school and made a plea for individuals and institutions to come to the school's aid.

“The Free SHS has increased the enrollment in schools; unfortunately, the corresponding infrastructure cannot match the nearly average increase of 14% in student population. Currently, we have a population of 4,379 students with only sixty classrooms. If we want to accommodate all the students as a single-track school, we need an additional 30 classrooms. This means we require an 18-unit classroom block and another 12-unit classroom block. This would require us to seek funding from sources beyond the traditional funding of the Free SHS, such as Bleobis and other philanthropists who are elsewhere, to come and support us," he said.

He also mentioned the shortage of beds as a major challenge facing the school and appealed for corporate support in addressing it.

In recent months, BOST has undertaken various CSR projects that have seen the company giving back to society.

In April of this year, BOST signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Education to fund the education of 50 engineering students enrolled at the University of Mines and Technology Tarkwa.

The BOST Scholarship Scheme, valued at a total cost of GH₵1.5 million, will cover the 4-year university education of the 50 beneficiaries.



The scholarship package of GH₵7,500 per student for every academic year includes accommodation, tuition, a laptop, and a stipend to support the beneficiaries' upkeep.

This month, BOST also donated an amount of GH¢100,000 to the University of Ghana’s One Student, One Laptop program, which aims to enhance education through digitalization.

According to Marlick Adjei, the motivation behind BOST's CSR drive in the education sector is to position the company as a key contributor to ending poverty through investment in human capital.