What began as a youth-led call for action has now become a visible reality at Paga Senior High School in the Upper East Region.
In June 2024, participants of LeadAfrique International’s Ghana Youth Leadership Academy (GYLA) visited Paga SHS as part of their social advocacy project, #SaveOurProjects. Their assessment brought attention to the challenges facing the school, including the state of its then-abandoned E-Block, which was being used by students despite remaining incomplete. The fellows advocated for the completion of the facility and other critical infrastructure needed to improve teaching and learning at the school.
Two years later, that call has taken a significant step forward.
On August 13, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama commissioned the completed E-Block at Paga SHS as part of his Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper East Region. The facility forms part of government’s broader efforts to revive abandoned educational infrastructure and expand access to quality secondary education.
The development is particularly significant because the Paga E-Block was among projects that had remained incomplete after substantial public investment. Government has now allocated funding to complete 30 abandoned E-Block projects across the country, with the Paga facility among those brought back into use.
For LeadAfrique International, the development offers a powerful reminder of what purposeful youth leadership and civic engagement can contribute to community development.
The GYLA fellows did not simply identify a problem. They investigated it, documented it and used advocacy to draw attention to an issue affecting students and teachers.
Today, the once-abandoned E-Block stands completed and ready to support learning at Paga SHS.
From a youth advocacy project to a completed public facility, the Paga story demonstrates that when young people are equipped to identify challenges and advocate for change, their voices can contribute to conversations that outlive the project itself.
The work of transforming communities continues and young people have a role to play in it.
#GYLA #LeadAfrique #SaveOurProjects #YouthLeadership #YouthAdvocacy #PagaSHS #Education #CivicEngagement #LeadershipInAction
