The President of the Old Achimotan Association (OAA), Joel Edmund Nettey, has called on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ministry of Education to introduce clear and tangible incentives for alumni, corporate bodies and private individuals who invest in public schools.

He argued that goodwill alone can no longer sustain such contributions.

Nettey made the call during the sod-cutting ceremony for a 250-bed dormitory block at Achimota School. The facility is being donated by Ebenezer Saka Addo-Mensah, an old student and real estate developer, in partnership with GETFund under the Fund’s new Education Financing and Partnership Initiative (EFPI).

In his remarks, Nettey re-echoed the sentiments of old students who are willing to support their alma mater but often question the benefits of such contributions.

“Every single time we, as old students, go to hound our members to support our old schools, the question has been, ‘But what’s in it for me beyond the love for my alma mater?’” he said.

Nettey argued that a documented framework of benefits would make it easier for alumni associations to mobilise resources for their schools.

“There is the desire to support, but there has to be something more meaningful than just love. When you give back to your school, beyond the love and beyond the applause, there should be something concrete like a tax rebate, a discount, a recognised benefit. That is what will make it easier for us to keep giving,” he added.

Responding to the appeal, GETFund Administrator Paul Adjei said the Fund was already working to reward private investment in education and appealed to the Ministry of Education to support the initiative with appropriate policies.

“We want to come up with some incentives to encourage more of such investments, and we appeal to the Minister of Education to also support us with policy that will encourage us to do more with the private sector,” he said.

He described the EFPI as a platform that could enhance infrastructure in Ghana’s schools when given the necessary support.

“The EFPI is a strategic platform to mobilise additional resources, attract private sector investment, deepen philanthropic engagement, and foster innovative partnerships that complement public financing of education,” he said.

In his remarks, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu commended GETFund for what he described as a novelty in education financing.

He also announced a major infrastructure push, directing the Fund to set aside a minimum of US$250 million in its 2027 formula for a deliberate intervention to expand classrooms, dormitories and laboratories in the country’s Category ‘A’ schools.

Iddrisu said the allocation would run alongside up to US$300 million in World Bank funding earmarked for expanded access.

The funding is expected to support the establishment of 10 new senior high and technical/vocational schools, four model district schools in deprived areas, the rehabilitation of about 150 schools, and the upgrading of 30 Category ‘C’ schools to ‘B’ and 20 Category ‘B’ schools to ‘A’.

For Saka Addo-Mensah, the dormitory is the latest chapter in his long relationship with the school, following the construction of a 30-bed medical ward for Achimota School a few years ago.

He urged other well-resourced Ghanaians to follow suit.

“My call to everyone here is: talk to somebody who can. There are benefits that can be gained through such initiatives,” he said.

The Board Chair of Achimota School, Prof. Emeritus Ernest Aryeetey, thanked Saka Addo-Mensah and GETFund for their contributions and challenged other Ghanaians to emulate them.

“Saka is an example of what we expect from every Ghanaian: that those who have benefited from a community should give back to it. On behalf of the Board, I am deeply grateful for the generosity of both Saka Addo-Mensah and GETFund; this is the spirit of partnership the school will always celebrate,” he said.

The facility, when completed, will accommodate 250 male students and is expected to relieve mounting pressure on Achimota School’s residential infrastructure, which has been stretched beyond its original capacity.

The school’s enrolment has increased from about 2,000 students in 2018 to more than 4,900 today, part of a nationwide surge that officials say has not been matched by comparable expansion of dormitories, classrooms and laboratories over the past two decades.