Over 7,000 jobs created through SOCO interventions – Upper East and North East Zonal Coordinator

By – Sadat Dabo

The government’s employment creation agenda is taking shape at the community level, with the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project engaging 120 newly recruited community facilitators in the Upper East Region

The facilitators are undergoing a three-day training programme in Bolgatanga from October 5 to 7, 2026, to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to support community participation, social projects and development initiatives

Speaking during the training, Samuel Larbi Agyarko, Upper East and North East Zonal Coordinator of the SOCO Project, said the recruitment and training of the facilitators form part of efforts to create employment while strengthening the implementation of government-supported community development projects

 

He said the facilitators would provide the needed support to communities, Community Implementation Committees, District Assemblies and the SOCO Project to ensure that development interventions are properly implemented

“As part of this, it is also about the government’s agenda to create employment for its people,” Mr. Agyarko stated

According to him, the newly recruited facilitators are expected to gain an overview of SOCO’s social projects and understand how they can contribute to their successful implementation within beneficiary communities

Over 7,000 jobs created through SOCO interventions

Mr. Agyarko said employment creation has already been a significant outcome of SOCO interventions in the Upper East Region

He disclosed that the project had previously engaged more than 434 community facilitators, while construction activities under various projects had provided employment for more than 5,000 skilled and unskilled workers

He said the implementation of the projects had therefore generated more than 7,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities

The latest recruitment of 120 community facilitators, he added, will further strengthen the human resource base supporting development activities at the grassroots

582 sub-projects implemented

Mr. Agyarko revealed that SOCO has so far implemented 582 sub-projects in the Upper East Region, with 410 already completed and handed over to beneficiary communities for use

The remaining projects, he said, are at different stages of implementation

The project has also provided grants to 255 Community Implementation Groups (CIGs) to support livelihood activities, benefiting more than 20,000 people

The grants are structured as revolving funds to enable beneficiary groups to sustain their livelihood activities and expand their economic opportunities.

Beyond jobs: Building peaceful communities

Mr. Agyarko said SOCO’s mandate goes beyond infrastructure and employment creation, stressing that social cohesion and peacebuilding remain key components of the project

He cited initiatives including youth parliaments, inter-cluster sporting activities and cultural activities as some of the interventions being used to promote peaceful coexistence and prevent conflict

He urged beneficiary communities to continue collaborating with the project and take ownership of the interventions.
According to him, the sustainability of the projects depends largely on the willingness of communities to actively participate and support their implementation

“The project is helping. I can tell you that the impact is there. When you go to the various communities, you feel the impact of supporting them,” he said

The SOCO Project is expected to run for five years until December 2027, with the newly recruited facilitators expected to play a critical role in strengthening community participation and supporting the delivery of social and development projects across the region

Source – gbcuraonline.com