By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu, GNA
Nalerigu (NER), Oct. 27, GNA – Ghana and Togo are strengthening community-led development through cross-border collaboration under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project to improve infrastructure, expand economic opportunities and promote social cohesion in border communities.
The initiative seeks to encourage communities to take leading roles to identify their development needs and implementing interventions that address shared social and economic challenges.
Ms Elizabeth Ohenewah Agyei, the National SOCO Project Coordinator for Ghana, said the project prioritized community participation and collaboration among countries to ensure that development interventions reflected the needs of people living along their shared borders.
At a joint regional working session in Nalerigu, she said the cross-border exchanges between Ghana and Togo would enable the countries to learn from each other’s experiences and develop coordinated interventions for communities with similar challenges.
“One of the key things that we try to do or are undertaking under the project is exchanges between the various countries, especially cross-border exchanges,” she said.
Ms Agyei explained that the engagement, which would include visits to border communities, was expected to facilitate the development of joint or complementary initiatives in infrastructure, local economic development, youth engagement and social cohesion.
She emphasized the need for both countries to work together to address the development needs of their border populations.
Mr Dametougle Totetiebe, National SOCO Project Coordinator for Togo, said the project was designed to address the economic, social and institutional challenges that affected vulnerable communities, beyond the conventional focus on security.
He said the initiative sought to improve access to infrastructure, strengthen social cohesion, encourage community participation and improve relations between citizens and the state.
“The SOCO project addresses the root causes of this fragility by improving access to infrastructure, strengthening social cohesion, ensuring that people feel involved, and strengthening the presence of the state by improving the relationship between citizens and the state,” he said.
Mr Totetiebe said the project, which began almost five years ago, had provided valuable lessons and encountered challenges, which made it necessary for the Ghanaian and Togolese teams to review their experiences and identify effective approaches for future implementation.
He said the four-day working session would involve reviewing ongoing activities, visits to beneficiary communities and exchange experiences to improve the delivery of interventions in both countries.
Mr Totetiebe expressed appreciation to the Ghanaian counterparts, young people and other stakeholders for their participation, saying collective commitment was essential to the success of the initiative.
The SOCO project is a multi-country US$450 million credit facility from the World Bank implemented in Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire, Togo and Benin.
Out of the total amount, the Government of Ghana was allocated US$ 150 million.
The project was aimed to provide support to the Northern parts of the Gulf of Guinea countries which suffer instabilities owing to food insecurity, climate change, conflict and violence.
The project was launched in Bolgatanga in November 2022, and implemented by the then Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
A total of 48 Districts in the Upper East, Northern, Upper West, North East, Savannah and Oti Regions are benefiting from the project.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Reporter’s email: [email protected]