Accra Academy Old Boys’ Association Holds Maiden Annual General Meeting

The Accra Academy Old Boys’ Association (AAOBA) has held its maiden Annual General Meeting at the K. G. Konuah hall in Accra. The meeting which took place on 24 March 2018 was held under the theme “What will be your Bleoo Legacy?”. In attendance were several alumni as well as members of the School Board and PTA. The meeting saw the introduction of the Bleoo Legacy Fundraising Initiative by the AAOBA Executive. This initiative seeks to raise One million Ghana Cedis from life-time contributions of members to purchase Government of Ghana bonds for Accra Academy as a means of providing a sustainable income for the School in perpetuity. 

According to the President of AAOBA, Bleoobi Mr Emmanuel Bruce-Attah, who  also chaired the occasion, alumni or their proxies can pledge between Gh¢1,000 and Gh¢100,000  and above as their life-time contribution and legacy to the School. Mr Bruce-Attah in presenting his report on activities of the Association for 2017, noted that the Association had organised several activities including; election of new National Executives, homecoming, commissioning of the refurbished tower clock, dining hall and science laboratories, inter-hall cross country, introduction of a quarterly newsletter, orientation of first year students of Accra Academy but to name a few. He thanked the various year groups and corporate sponsors that had helped to undertake the projects. He also highlighted ongoing projects at the School being undertaken by year groups which are yet to be completed namely; a multi-purpose Sports Court, a 100 capacity ICT Laboratory, a Clinic and a Piggery. According to Mr Bruce-Attah, the short term goals of the Association to help the School win the National Science and Maths Quiz, to encourage Bleoobii to leave a Legacy for the school by way of contributions to the legacy fund initiative and building an Alumni house will continue to remain in focus. Mr Bruce-Attah expressed gratitude to the various year groups that paid their 2017 annual levies, noting that the Association relies on these levies for its activities and projects.  Mr Bruce-Attah also disclosed plans by AAOBA to organise a novelty career fair in June that will focus on employment and business opportunities  for members of  the Association.

The Headmaster of Accra Academy, Bleoobi Rev William Garr, in presenting his report, noted that the School’s administration had put in place several measures to improve the academic work of students and the security of the School. He also noted that a biometric attendance system had been installed at the School to ensure teacher punctuality. Rev Garr disclosed plans by the School to reinstate Hall PTAs,  organise a book fair as a means of encouraging students to cultivate a habit of reading, and organise an Open Day to provide parents an opportunity to visit the School and inspect its facilities including the boarding house to ascertain the conditions under which their wards live. He noted that the School was unrelenting in training the NSMQ delegation to win the competition this year. Rev Garr used the opportunity to call for the expansion and refurbishment of the School’s ICT laboratory. He also gave the assurance that the Asamoah Gyan Sport Complex is being managed with due diligence and that necessary measures have been implemented for its smooth operation and maintenance. 

Bleoobi Mr Samuel Victor Quao, a former Board member of the School and the immediate past National President of AAOBA and current Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Accra Academy Endowment Fund, provided a historical background of the fund and the proposed amendments to it. 

Also speaking at the event, Bleoobi Mr Wilson Tei, the School’s Board Chairman, emphasized the need for alumni to pay their dues in addition to their annual year group levies.

The PRO of the Association, Bleoobii Mr Eddy Lawson, called on members and year groups alike to contribute towards the amendment of the Association’s constitution and to deliberate on proposed amendments put forward by the National Executive for consideration and adoption. 

The Financial Statement for the Association for the year 2017, as well as the programmes and budget for the Association for the year 2018 were presented by Bleoobi Mr Francis Bimpong-Boatha, the Deputy Treasurer of AAOBA. 

The Vice President of the Association, Bleoobi Mr Michael Nartey, during the course of discussions at the event, called for all alumni year groups to collaborate in other to grow the Association and make it more vibrant.

The event was also marked by a question and answer session between the speakers and attendees and deliberations on the challenges affecting the School and the Association and how they can be ameliorated.