Airtel Ghana, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives has funded the construction of a purpose-built Clinical Teaching Facility and Diagnostic Centre for the School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast.

The Teaching Facility, comprising of the Lecture Premises, three (3) Students Pavilions and 13 offices for students and staff of the school was commissioned by the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Evans Atta Mills at a ceremony in Cape Coast.

Explaining why Airtel took up the responsibility of funding these projects, the CEO (International) & Joint Managing Director for Bharti Airtel Ltd., Manoj Kohli, stated that Airtel believed that business was not an end in itself but rather a means to achieving higher socio-economic goals.

He added that Bharti Airtel undertook several initiatives in 2010-11 in the social welfare space while strengthening existing projects to ensure inclusive growth and positive impact in society. “In the last one year, Bharti Airtel has extended its initiative of providing quality education to underprivileged children to the 16 African countries we operate in. The Company is adopting at least one primary school in each of these 16 countries in the first stage” he stated.

Mr. Kohli mentioned Himankrom Methodist Primary School in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region as being the school in Ghana to have been adopted by Airtel which has provided an improved learning environment for the pupils through a total refurbishment of the facility, supply of learning aids and the provision of school uniforms and sandals/shoes.

According to the Dean of the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences, Prof. Harold S. Amonoo-Kuofi, the purpose-built medical teaching facility was the first of its kind in any medical school in Ghana, with offices for the lecturers and big lecture halls for the students and internet connectivity, which students can use to access information on the internet.

“Our students had already started benefiting from this facility even before the official commissioning. They enjoy learning in comfort in a space that is well proportioned and also congenial for academic work and we are very happy to have it”, he added.

The two-storey Diagnostics Centre, which is expected to be completed in April 2012, would be equipped with the latest medical facilities and will be a one-stop centre for carrying out the most sophisticated diagnostic tests on patients. It is expected to provide the needed diagnostic services not just for people in the Central Region of Ghana but also for all the surrounding communities as far as the Western Region and beyond.

On his part, the Managing Director of Airtel Ghana, Philip Sowah, stated that Airtel’s association with the projects was a way of fulfilling one of the company’s core values of creating positive impact in the communities they operate in. He disclosed that to give more value and needed help to Ghanaians, Airtel Ghana had again launched the second edition of the ground breaking authentic reality Corporate Social Responsibility TV series “Airtel Touching Lives 2”, to change the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.  “This is in alignment with our vision of becoming the most loved brand in the daily lives of Ghanaians by 2015”, he added.