Jirapa, (UWR), Aug. 19, GNA - China has supported Ghana's Energy Commission with $300 million grant to extend electricity to rural communities in Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions.

The amount has been distributed as follows: Northern Region received $105 million, Upper East Region, $95 million and the Upper West Region, $90 million.

Dr Francis Bawana Dakurah, a member of the Energy Commission, made this known during the second ordinary session of the Jirapa District Assembly at Jirapa on Wednesday.

Dr Dakurah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Jirapa Constituency, said the contract for the project had been awarded to a Chinese company. He noted that the contractor was currently undertaking preliminary studies on the project.

He said the $90 million allocated to the Upper West Region was enough to extend power to all the rural communities in the region.

The MP said the Jirapa street light project, would hopefully be completed before December this year.

On water, Dr Dakurah said eight boreholes would be constructed for eight communities in the district and stated that some had already been drilled.

He announced that he had provided an amount of GH¢10,000 towards the establishment of a Midwifery Training School at Jirapa.

On sponsorship of students from the district to tertiary level, the MP said, he was facilitating the establishment of a Tertiary Education Fund, which would be used to support brilliant but needy students.

Dr Dakurah said the Fund would be launched in December this year and urged individuals, civil society organisations, and the District Assembly to contribute to it to support many students.

He said a micro finance and small loans scheme would be established to also support many women to enter into economic activities to alleviate poverty.

Dr Dakurah called for effective collaboration between him and the District Chief Executive, Mr Bernard K. Puozuing to enable them to bring more developments to the district.

He also appealed to Assembly Members to work together in unity and generate useful development ideas for the district.