Sefwi-Waiwso (W/N), Jan. 21, GNA – The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Sefwi-Waiwso Municipal Assembly have launched a COVID-19 recovery Programmes at Sefwi-Waiwso to support persons and industries affected by the Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
The Recovery Programme, according to the Sefwi-Waiwso Municipal Planning Coordinating Unit (MPCU) is based on four recovery pillars, which include Local Economy, People, Infrastructure and Governance.
In a speech read by Mr Francis Abebrese on behalf of the Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission, he recounted the numerous changes that have occurred since Ghana recorded its first case of COVID-19 in March 2020.
Mr Abrebese said the objective of the Recovery Programme was to assist the Municipal Assembly to bounce back from the pandemic, transform the local economy to become more resilient to absorb all shocks, which would help revitalize and transform the local economy to create jobs.
“I am happy to announce that the preparations of COVID-19 Recovery Plan will be integrated into the next Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (2020-2025) which is expected to be completed by the end of March 2021.
Discussions are underway to review the 2021 annual action plan of some district assemblies and to support them to include essential recovery actions for implementation this year”.
The Director-General appealed to stakeholders to collaborate with the Assembly to ensure a smooth implementation and evaluation of the plan and asked the Assembly to proactively engage all stakeholders for technical and financial support in implementing the plan.
A speech read by Mr Joseph Kwame Baah Darko, Municipal Coordinating Director on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive, expressed gratitude to the organizers for offering the Assembly and other stakeholders the opportunity to share some thoughts on the deadly pandemic that had brought the world to its knees and noted that collectively, the virus would be defeated.
He assured that the Municipal Assembly was determined to ensure the overall development of its jurisdiction and would partner with the appropriate agencies to address the challenges presented by the pandemic.
He cautioned Ghanaians residents about the rising number of active cases and called on all to strictly adhere to all the safety protocols.
He commended the Municipal Coordinating Director, the Development Planning Unit of the National Development Planning Commission and the United Nations Development Programme for helping to finalize the COVID-19 recovery plan.
The launch was attended by traditional and religious leaders, departmental heads of the Municipal Assembly, representatives from the National Development Planning Commission, United Nations Development Programme and chiefs farmers among others.
GNA