Ja Rule fulfilled his promise to build a new school building in Ghana on Monday. In April 2024, he broke ground for the construction of a classroom block for the St. John’s Anglican Basic School in Nuaso in the Eastern Region of the country.
The building of the classroom block was in partnership with Pencils of Promise, a U.S. non-profit organization that seeks to create a better world through education, building schools, and WASH programs.
The school’s classroom block was destroyed by a downpour years ago, compelling many of the students to learn in makeshift structures, Ghana’s JoyOnline reported. Thanks to Ja Rule’s 6-unit classroom block, overcrowding and the school’s shift system have come to an end, with the students now having an enabling environment that can boost learning, school officials said.
“This is not just about putting up buildings; it’s about creating opportunities. Education, sports, and the arts all go hand in hand in building a brighter future,” Ja Rule said at the unveiling ceremony on Monday.
During last year’s groundbreaking ceremony, the rapper said he was proud to be a part of the school building project in Ghana.
“I’m proud to be out here to have the audacity to come out here to build a school for my people,” Ja Rule said. “I know this will be an opportunity that will last for many years to come, this is just the beginning of something special.”
“As I look around, I see a lot of beautiful students here from Nuaso Anglican Primary. And for me, education is the pillar of any community. And so with that being said, Ghana, I appreciate you all. I thank you for accepting me as your brother,” he said.
Upon their arrival in Ghana at the time, the rapper and his wife, Aisha Atkins, first visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Accra to pay homage to Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah before visiting some community leaders at Krobo Edumase in the Eastern Region.
Ja Rule announced his school project in January 2024 after similar works by Michael Blackson and Lil Jon. In 2018, Lil Jon partnered with Pencils for Promise to build a school in the Asuogyaman District of eastern Ghana.
Blackson, a U.S.-based Ghanaian-Liberian comedian-actor, also launched the Michael Blackson Academy in Agona Nsaba, Ghana.
His tuition-free ultramodern school, which opened in January 2023, fulfills the actor’s long-held desire which he had while returning to Ghana after 15 years away.
