UE/R: SOCO PROJECT FACILITATORS URGED TO WORK HARD FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT – DCE NABDAM
BY: RAYMOND WEGWI
The KALABASH AID, a renowned non-profit and social accountability organization in the Upper East Region of Ghana, mandated by government of Ghana through the Ministry of Local Government to evaluate Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project in the Upper East and North East Regions, has organized an evaluation forum in Binduri, one of the twenty -one (21) beneficiary districts for stakeholders to evaluate the project at the Binduri district assembly Hall.
The project ranges from Education, Health and Sanitation facilities delivery, in communities like Zaago Model Girls, Bazua, Avoase, Boko, Sapeliga, Yarigungu, Boko Primary, Belimpiisi Primary,Sarabogo Primary, Naran-Saag Primary and Goore Primary .
In his welcome address , the Director of KALABASH AID, Mr Justin Adonadaga expressed his gratitude for the massive turnout of the stakeholders,for the forum, to evaluate the SOCO project in Binduri, and urged them to be bold and factual in their discussions, to come out with a very good joint stakeholders’ recommendations for the improvement of the project, to be a game changer in the lives of the people in the beneficiary communities .
Mr. Francis Nyaaba, an officer from KALABASH AID, then provided the standard indicators developed for the evaluation of SOCO project in all the districts as; Awareness creation, Meeting the community needs, Community Participation, Transparency of the District Assembly, Satisfaction with the Infrastructure and Satisfaction with the service delivery and tasked the stakeholders to them rate the project using the indicators provided.
The stakeholders who includes, the Assembly members, the Assembly’s workers who were part of the project, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, Community Water and Sanitation Agency, the beneficiary community members etc, took the opportunity to expressed their varied views, and whilst all agreed on their awareness of the project and existence and utilization of them by the people, the disagreed with its transparency and also raised the over politicization issues, especially at the handing over process, where some leaders were left out .
At the end of the evaluation, all the stakeholders called for more transparent and non-politicization of the SOCO project going forward, and suggested for a regular organization of community stakeholders’ durbars by the Assembly members, to always brief them and also take their feedback to enable all of them drive the maximum benefits of the SOCO project.
In conclusion, Mr Justin Adonadaga of KALABASH AID, acknowledged challenges that any new project will face and explained that, when the report is prepared well and presented, and the joint recommendations therin are well implemented, there may not be the need for other evaluations and the money saved could be channel into the provision of more facilities and thanked the participants for sharing their frank thoughts with them.
