Filed by: Fayilatu Issah/RadioMak
Professor Sherif Mahmoud Khalid, Economic Advisor to the Vice President of Ghana and native of Wa, has donated assorted educational items to Junior High School (JHS) graduates in the Wa Municipality who are preparing to enter Senior High School (SHS).
The donation, made on Friday, September 18, 2026, in Wa, is expected to benefit students from all 31 electoral areas in the municipality.
The initiative is aimed at supporting students as they transition from basic school to the secondary level while helping to reduce the financial burden on their parents and guardians.
The items donated include 250 student boxes, 200 assorted buckets, 1,100 plates, and 1,020 mugs of different sizes.
Speaking on behalf of Professor Khalid at the ceremony, former NDC Wa Central Constituency Secretary, Mr. Khalid Abdul-Rahman, said the support was not politically motivated.
He explained that Professor Khalid was making the donation as a son of the Upper West region with a desire to support young people in the area and was not doing so on behalf of any political party.
To butress the point, Mr. Abdul-Rahman said if the initiative were politically motivated, the items would have been distributed through the party’s structures.
He encouraged the beneficiaries to take their studies seriously and work hard to make their parents and the Upper West Region proud.
According to him, Professor Khalid’s achievements are partly attributable to his commitment to education and hard work during his school days.
Mr. Abdul-Rahman also appealed to parents and guardians to provide proper guidance and support to the students to prevent them from going wayward as they begin their SHS education.
Meanwhile, the Assembly Member for the Bamahu Electoral Area, Hon. Adams Yahaya Jiga, disclosed that each of the 31 electoral areas was expected to provide eight students to benefit from the initiative.
He said the selection was based on need, with priority given to students from vulnerable backgrounds, including orphans and families who may struggle to provide the necessary items for their children.
He described the initiative as a valuable opportunity for needy students to continue their education with some of the financial burden eased.
For his part, the Assembly Member for the Jonga Electoral Area, Hon. Daubile Alhassan Ibrahim, expressed gratitude to Professor Khalid for the support.
He said he was particularly impressed that the selection of beneficiaries was not based on political affiliation, but involved Assembly Members identifying deserving students from their respective electoral areas.
Hon. Daubile explained that, in selecting beneficiaries, he ensured that every community within the Jonga Electoral Area had, at least, one beneficiary.
He added that he consulted teachers in some schools and asked them to recommend students who were considered to be in need of support.
A parent from Kperisi, Mr. Umar, also expressed gratitude to Professor Sherif Khalid, describing the initiative as a significant intervention for families in the constituency.
He said the donation had helped reduce the financial burden on parents who otherwise would have had to purchase the items for their children.
Mr. Umar noted that the support should encourage the beneficiaries to take their education seriously, adding that many parents in the past were unable to attend school because of financial difficulties.
The student beneficiaries were full of gratitude and excitement over the donation, pledging to take their studies seriously as they begin their secondary education.
