By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Sekondi, Feb. 16, GNA – The European Union (EU) Funded Twin Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project, being implemented in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, has sent 48 boys and 22 girls back to school within some deprived communities in the metropolis.
The project has also facilitated the return of three pregnant girls to school after delivery under the Youth Friendly and Reproductive Health component.
Mr Isaac Aidoo, the Project Coordinator, made this known during a press conference in Sekondi in the Western Region.
The TCSPP, being implemented in Sekondi-Takoradi, and the City of Palermo in Italy, is a three-year project with a grant funding of 3million Euros.
The project is aimed at improving Urban Governance, Culturally Sensitive Activities, and Climate Change Adaptation measures to achieve sustainable communities.
Mr Aidoo reported that the project had also established 17 Climate Clubs in selected schools to educate students to serve as change agents on climate change mitigation measures.
He indicated that the project would soon start a programme to revitalize the section of Sekondi, called “European Town.”
The TCSPP initiative would introduce an E-governance platform for effective citizen and assembly engagement, build 500 biodigesters for selected homes, and provide over 120 eco-friendly ovens for fishmongers within the metropolis.
Under the projections for 2024, the TCSPP intended to develop ten local spatial plans for communities such as Mberedane, New Takoradi, European Town, Essipon, Kojokrom, Sofokrom, Bakano, Nkroful-BU, Sekondi, and Takoradi (Central Business District – Presby Area) to ensure coordinated spatial development.
Mr Aidoo said the local plan would be on display after completion in designated areas in the communities for developers to align with its tenets.
Meanwhile, Kojokrom, Essipon, and Diabenekrom are expected to have Reproductive Health Centers for adolescents to access quality information and counseling on how to manage the changing scenes of their lives to avert early pregnancies, contraction of STIs, and take charge of their health and well-being.
Mr Abdul Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, mentioned that the EU monitoring group was impressed with the progress and success chalked within the two years of implementation.
As part of transnational exchanges with the Municipality of Palermo, he highlighted that there would be the establishment of a Maritime Training Centre at the Takoradi Technical University, in partnership with the Maritime Training Institute in Palermo, Italy.
He explained that the collaboration would also involve the Western Naval Command to produce skilled manpower for the maritime industry.
The MCE expressed concern about the laxity with which some fruit trees planted in schools had withered due to the lack of proper care.
He, therefore, appealed to beneficiary schools to intensify efforts in nurturing the fruit trees.
The MCE noted that the project aimed to plant more fruit and coconut trees and encouraged communities, institutions, and all well-meaning city dwellers to help achieve the overall goals of the TCSPP.
Mr. Innocent Haligah, the Metropolitan Coordinating Director said the assembly, through various stakeholder engagements put up a sustainability model to ensure that components of the project continued after the project lifespan.
GNA