By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), Nov.18, GNA – Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper West Regional Minister, says 59 infrastructure sub-projects under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project have been completed in the Region in its first year of implementation.
He said 107 infrastructure sub-projects were implemented in the region, cutting across sectors including roads, water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), health, and education infrastructure to improve people’s livelihoods.
Mr Yakubu announced this in Wa at the weekend during a media engagement by the SOCO secretariat to update the media and stakeholders on the status of the project in the country and the region.
The SOCO project is a 150 million US Dollar IDA/World Bank credit facility implemented in 48 districts in the Upper West, Upper East, Northern, North East, Savannah, and Oti Regions.
It is aimed at building socio-economic resilience across those districts to improve livelihoods and strengthen community cohesion.
The Minister also disclosed that 530 infrastructural sub-projects were being implemented across all the SOCO regions, including the Upper West Region.
Mr Yakubu explained that an estimated investment of GH¢184,777,742 had so far been invested into those strategic infrastructure projects, local economic development, and youth engagement activities aimed to foster social cohesion.
He indicated that President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia had been deeply involved and committed to the project due to its potential impact on the lives of the people and the nation in general.
“As a result of the success seen the Government is now considering a request for additional financing to expand the scope of the SOCO project.
This will allow us to extend the benefits of the project to the remaining 16 non-beneficial districts in the six implementing regions”, Mr Yakubu stated.
In a presentation on the project in the region, Mr David Yankey, the Wa Zonal Coordinator of SOCO, said there were four education facilities, and one health equipment supply in Nandom under the project.
Others were two Library projects, one teacher’s quarters, two furniture supplies 43 water facilities, and a goat market road at Babile.
Mrs Cedonia Dere, a Local Economic Development Specialist, observed that despite the size of the sub-project intervention, its impact on society and the livelihood of the people was enormous.
She explained that the projects were designed to guide conflicts and violence that were drivers of the security situation on the nation’s borders.
GNA