The Chiraa community has rallied behind a local youth-led initiative to protest a contentious decision regarding the town’s sole public library.

The Concerned Citizens of Chiraa are calling for the reversal of a proposal, championed by Sunyani West Member of Parliament Millicent Amankwa Yeboah, to repurpose the library as a fire station.

To the community, the library serves as the intellectual cornerstone, extending beyond its physical structure.

In a strongly worded statement, the group emphasised that addressing fire safety concerns should not come at the expense of dismantling the town’s educational infrastructure.

Residents are particularly frustrated with the perceived top-down approach to decision-making, citing a lack of meaningful consultation with library patrons.

The youth are especially vocal about the disregard for their future, stressing that development should be additive rather than subtractive.

The group’s key demands include halting discussions on library works until proper community consultations are conducted, identifying an alternative location for the Ghana National Fire Service station that does not impact educational services, expanding library resources instead of closure and recognizing the potential consequences of removing the library on the community’s progress.