The North East Regional Minister, Ibrahim Tia, has tasked Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) in the Upper East and North East regions to ensure that the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project does not fail.
“You have no excuse to fail your people as the government has provided all the necessary resources for the project,” he said.
He warned that inefficiency or failure on the part of the officials of the Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) to utilise the funds to transform beneficiary communities would not be tolerated.
Orientation
The minister made the remarks when he was speaking at an orientation programme for MMDCEs and District Coordinating Directors (DCDs) organised by SOCO in Bolgatanga.
Mr Tia stated that, “When you have money sitting in your account and you are not spending it, excuse me with my words, it’s just inefficiency.
If his excellency comes to your district and there is nothing to show, no one needs to tell you that is the beginning of your exit.”
“The President himself will be moving from one district to another.
In every district, he wants to see at least one project completed under the Common Fund and another on the SOCO initiative.
“When he arrives, there must be something tangible for him to inaugurate.
If you fail to deliver, it will not be the President who will be embarrassed, it will be you and your district,” Mr Tia cautioned.
He urged the assemblies to strengthen collaboration with Members of Parliament (MPs) to protect SOCO funds in Parliament and ensure strict supervision of contractors to prevent shoddy work.
SOCO project
The National Project Coordinator, SOCO, Elizabeth Ohenewah Agyei, said the orientation was to provide the MDCEs and DCDs with a clear understanding of the project since they were the lead implementers.
The participants
She explained that the SOCO project, funded by the World Bank, was a community-driven initiative which required that communities identified and prioritised projects, while the assemblies bore the responsibility to deliver and ensure accountability.
“The aim is to enhance regional collaboration and bolster the socioeconomic and climate resilience of over 1,788 communities in 48 beneficiary MMDAs, which is to ultimately prevent conflict, strengthen local institutions, and improve socio-economic conditions, particularly in vulnerable areas in six regions of Ghana,” she stated.
Mrs Agyei indicated that of the $150 million the country was benefiting from, $60 million had been disbursed since the project began in March 2022, leaving $90 million to be spent between now and May 2027.
She noted that though there were challenges with supervision and community engagement, systems such as third-party monitoring and grievance redress mechanisms had been introduced to improve delivery.
Commitment
The Chief Executive of the Bolgatanga Municipality, Roland Atanga Ayoo, described the orientation as timely and pledged to strengthen monitoring and supervision of projects in his municipality to ensure they met standards and timelines.
He said personal oversight was critical, stressing that he regularly visits sites to check progress of work and expressed his commitment to ensure projects in the municipality were of high standard and to the benefit of the people.
A Chief Planning Analyst at the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Bright Yaw Atiase, urged the MMDAs to engage communities in the development of their plans to ensure that projects in the various areas addressed the actual needs of the people.
