By Godfred A. Polkuu
Kanania (U/E), Nov 22, GNA – Mr Gerard Ataogye, the Kassena-Nankana West District Chief Executive (DCE) in the Upper East Region, has called on the Chiefs and people in the area to own and support the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion Project (SOCO) in their respective communities.
The district would benefit from 11 projects in the first phase of the SOCO project implementation across various sectors of the economy.
Mr Ataogye said the Assembly sensitized community members on the SOCO Project after which they chose the projects to be constructed in the various communities themselves.
“We want the communities to own the projects,” the DCE emphasized.
The SOCO Project is a multi-country US$450 million credit facility from the World Bank to be implemented in Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire, Togo and Benin.
The project, implemented in Ghana by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, was launched in Bolgatanga by the Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in November 2022.
The Government of Ghana received US$150 million out of the total credit facility to implement the project in 48 Municipalities and Districts in the Upper East, Savannah, Oti, North East, Upper West and Northern Regions.
Mr Ataogye reminded community members at brief ceremonies in beneficiary communities to hand over sites to contractors at Kanania, Gwenia, Katiu and Kayoro that, they chose the projects themselves, and urged them to offer the Contractors the needed support to execute the projects.
The Assembly, under the Project, would rehabilitate a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound at Kanania, construct a 1.8 metre culvert at Gwenia, 16-unit market stalls in the Katiu market and construct a community social centre at Kayoro.
Prior to the handing over of the four sites, the DCE in the company of Mr Abubakari Amadu, the District Coordinating Director and some technical officers from the Assembly, earlier handed over seven project sites to contractors at Sirigu, Kandiga-Atibabiisi, Nabango, Mirugu-Gonum, Kajelo, Paga and the Nakolo communities.
All the projects in the district are valued at GH₵4.7 million and expected to be completed within six months.
Mr Ataogye said the Assembly received 14 new motorbikes from government as part of the project implementation for monitoring,and expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the initiative.
At the Katiu market, where there were several trees, Alhaji Danladi Salifu, the Regional Zonal Engineer for the SOCO Project, said the construction work in the market should not affect the trees, and urged all contractors to deliver quality work within the stipulated six months.
Opinion leaders across all the beneficiary communities thanked the Assembly and management of the SOCO Project and said the projects would be a relief to them when completed.
GNA