By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), Jan. 19, GNA – About GH₵48 million has been disbursed to the eleven Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the Upper West Region for the first phase of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Ghana Social Cohesion (SOCO) project implementation.
That amount was to implement 127 sub-projects across all the MDAs in the region, Mr Daniel Botwe, the Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), said.
He added that about GH₵107 million had been allocated to the region for the second phase of the project, which is expected to commence soon.
Mr Botwe revealed this in Wa during a Consultative Workshop on SOCO Scoping Report and Digital Knowledge Management Platform organised by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) in collaboration with MLDGRD and the Project Implementation Unit. (PIU).
The workshop, among other things, provided a platform for experts, indigenes, and academic and professional groups to be informed about the SOCO project and review the Scoping Report and the Digital Knowledge Management Platform, offering suggestions and ideas for improvement.
A total of 48 Municipalities and Districts in six regions in Northern Ghana – the five regions in the north and Oti Region – are benefiting from the 150 million Dollar SOCO project.
Mr Botwe explained that the funds were readily available for the execution of the projects and that there should not be any reason for the delay to any project.
“This money is available, it has been sent to this region, 48 million Ghana Cedis. No contractor or consultant will work and say we done this work, and we are waiting for payment, no, the money is available. have
So, if the project is not going as, it should and you go to the Municipal and District Chief Executives, the Coordinating Directors and they are giving excuses, no,” he explained.
He therefore urged the media and other stakeholders to monitor the implementation of the sub-projects from their start to completion to ensure they were implemented to yield the expected results.
The Minister indicated that they had trained MDCEs, Coordinating Directors, Finance officers and other key actors at the assemblies to adequately prepare them for the project implantation.
Mr Botwe reminded the DCE among s and Coordinating Directors of the provisions of the Local Government Act, 2016 (Act 936), which other things, enjoins the Assemblies to play effective coordination roles of the activities of development partners and promote development at the district levels to bring the government closer to the people.
Mr David Quaye Annang, the Vice Chairman of the NDPC, who chaired the programme, indicated that the SOCO project was expected to address challenges such as the threat of spillage of violent extremism in Ghana from the neighbouring countries and vulnerabilities caused by climate change and to strengthen local institutions and provide economic opportunities for the youth.
He said interventions of the government and Non-governmental Organisations in the past to address the development challenges in the country were inhibited by the lack of coordination and fragmented approach to those interventions and called for strong collaborations among stakeholders.
Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, indicated that the project was a game changer and had put the region on the development pedestal.
He called for strong collaboration and partnership between the MLGDRD and the NDPC, the Regional Coordinating Council and MMDAs in the implementation of the SOCO projects to help achieve the expected results.
Mr Bright Atiase, Chief Analyst at the NDPC, who presented the Scoping Study Report, expressed hope that the report would be launched in March 2024.
The report covered areas including local economic development; digital technology and innovation; conflict and migration; social cohesion; climate change and governance.
Representatives from the security agencies, government agencies and departments, MDCEs and Coordinating Directors, development partners, youth groups and students among others attended the workshop.
GNA