By Dennis Peprah, GNA
Sunyani (Bono), July 3, GNA – Mr Thomas Benarkuu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the MIHOSO Foundation International, has called on the Government to reconsider its implementation strategy for the proposed 24-hour markets by piloting their construction before rolling them out nationwide.
MIHOSO is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) committed to providing public health education, consultancy services in hygiene and sanitation promotion, and sustainable rural water and sanitation.
The Foundation also promotes social and organisational development in communities through evidence-based research, advocacy, training, resource sharing, and livelihood empowerment programmes targeting women, youth, and children.
Mr Benarkuu lauded the 24-hour market initiative, describing it as a key intervention with the potential to spur economic growth, create wealth, and reduce poverty.
However, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he said it would be financially prudent for the Government to pilot the construction of the markets, beginning with the regional capitals before extending the initiative to the rest of the country.
“We have heard the Government say that funding is not a problem, but it would be more prudent for the nation to construct the markets in phases and scale up gradually,” Mr Benarkuu suggested.
He urged the Government to take lessons from similar infrastructure initiatives, including the Agenda 111 District Hospitals and the One District; One Factory projects were initiated under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
Mr Benarkuu said it was unfortunate that many of those projects had been abandoned and left exposed to the elements.
“We do not want the Government to repeat similar mistakes,” he stated.
He questioned the feasibility of constructing standard 24-hour markets across all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) at the same time.
Mr Benarkuu observed that although market projects were important for promoting business and investment, some districts and municipalities did not currently require new market facilities because of their level of economic activity.
Instead, he urged the Government to upgrade or expand existing market structures in some MMDAs rather than constructing entirely new markets at different locations.
Mr Benarkuu explained that through the Foundation’s Social Audit Committees (SACs), established in several districts and municipalities, it had become evident that the country would not derive optimum benefits from constructing 24-hour markets in some MMDAs.
“In such MMDAs, it would be more prudent for the Government to channel those funds into completing the abandoned Agenda 111 District Hospital projects, which would be more beneficial to the people at this time,” he said.
Mr Benarkuu explained that the Foundation established the SACs under the Social Accountability for a Resilient Democracy project, which seeks to empower citizens to actively participate in local governance and demand accountability from duty bearers.
The project also aims to strengthen collaboration between District Assemblies and local communities in the Dormaa West District and Sunyani West Municipality in the Bono Region, as well as the Asutifi North District, Asunafo South District and Tano North Municipality in the Ahafo Region.
The initiative is supported by the Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) programme, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
The project is being implemented by the MIHOSO Foundation International and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in partnership with Ghana’s Ministry of Finance.
GNA
Edited by Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Dennis Peprah
[email protected]