UE/R: SOCO PROJECT FACILITATORS URGED TO WORK HARD FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT – DCE NABDAM
The Upper East Regional Minister Dr. Hafiz Bin Sali has said the Gulf of Guinea Social Cohesion, SOCO Project would be a game changer for the 48 implementing Assemblies in the five northern regions including the Oti Region of the country if well implemented. According to the new regional minister the project was being implemented in four countries of the West African sub-region with climate change challenges such as Ghana, I’ voire Coast, Togo and Benin with over a $100 million funding support from the World Bank.
He said Ghana’s allocation of the project funding was $450 million, $150 million for I’voire Coast, $90 million for Togo and $60 million for Benin.
He stated that the project was being implemented in Ghana through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in collaboration with the beneficiary Assemblies in three zones in the north such as the Wa Zone, Bolgatanga Zone which comprises of the Upper East and the North East Regions respectively and the Northern Zone under three components; Infrastructure, livelihood empowerment and youth led.
Dr. Hafiz disclosed these during the project review meeting of the Bolgatanga Zone held in Bolgatanga to brief partners and stakeholders on the implementation of the First Face of the five year project which started last year.
Given the rationale behind the stakeholder engagement, the Upper East Regional Coordinating Director Alhaji Inusah Abubakar said the quarterly engagement was meant to bring all the stakeholders involved in the implementation of the project together to brief partners on how far the project had come and to also coordinate the activities of the implementing Assemblies within the Bolgatanga Zone to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the various components of the SOCO project. Alhaji Abubakari who described the project as the highest capital investment in the north so far called on the various implementing Assemblies to live up to task to ensure the completion of the 2023 maiden face of the project to pave the way for the implementation of the second face of the project for the 2024 year.
Interacting with the media later after the stakeholder engagement , the head of the Bolgatanga Zonal SOCO project team Mr. Samuel Larbi Agyarko said a total of 211 sub-projects had been executed in the Upper East Region with 54 in the North East Region including 9 road projects; 7 for Upper East and 3 for the North East.
He intimated that the project recruited 434 people to help in its implementation adding that it also saw the engagement of 188 community facilitators in the zone most of whom were presented motorbikes to aid in their mobility. He further stated that 42 laptops were distributed to the implementing Assemblies to aid them in the implementation of the project activities.
Representatives of UNICEF and World Food Programmes were in attendance as well as agencies such as EPA, DVLA, GIDA, NRSC, IDA and NCCE.
