SOCO project delivers 41 community facilities to Builsa South District
The Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project and the Builsa South District Assembly have inaugurated five projects, bringing the total number of SOCO-funded projects in the district to 41.
The ceremony brought together SOCO Project officials, the district assembly, sector heads, and community members to Pentengsa, Fumbisi, Batuisa and Tuedema, where education, health, sanitation and livelihood infrastructure were officially handed over to beneficiary communities.
The projects included two fully furnished three-unit classroom blocks with offices, staff common rooms, stores, washroom facilities and furniture at Pentengsa and Batuisa, and a renovated and furnished meat shop at Yabapeling-Fumbisi.
Other inaugurated projects included a water closet facility with a six-unit bathroom at the Fumbisi Market and a completed and furnished Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound at Tuedema.
Reducing inequality
Speaking at the separate ceremonies, the Zonal Coordinator of the SOCO Project for the Upper East and North East regions, Samuel Larbi Agyarko, said the interventions were aimed at reducing inequality, improving access to basic social services and strengthening social cohesion in vulnerable communities.
“We are here to inaugurate projects and officially hand them over to the communities. So far today, we have handed over five projects, bringing the total number of SOCO projects in the Builsa South District to 41,” he said.
Mr Agyarko explained that the SOCO Project was deliberately designed to close gaps in access to education, health and water services, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
“Some communities did not have access to health facilities; now they do. In education, you have seen what has been provided for model girls’ schools and other communities. We are trying to break the gap where students and patients had to travel long distances to access services,” he noted.
He added that the project had so far supported the drilling of more than 21 boreholes in the district, including mechanised systems, to reduce the burden on residents who previously had to travel long distances in search of potable water.
“Safe usage and good maintenance are key to ensuring that these projects serve the communities for many years,” he stressed.
Mr Agyarko explained that the SOCO Project was community-driven, using a bottom-up approach where communities identified their priority needs through action plans submitted to the district assembly for approval before implementation.
About SOCO project
The SOCO Project is a five-year, $150 million World Bank-funded initiative, implemented by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development from 2022 to 2027 in 48 districts across six regions, including the Upper East and North East, to mitigate conflict risks, reduce climate vulnerability and improve economic opportunities.
The Builsa South District Education Director, Daniel Akumnyemi, expressed gratitude to the SOCO Project, describing the classroom blocks as “a dream come true”.
“We have been battling for a facility like this for a long time. This is wonderful, especially for the girls. We are very grateful,” he said.
He added that the new infrastructure would help address the challenges of long-distance travel faced by learners and improve enrolment, especially at the basic level.
The District Director of Health, Emmanuel Kob-Pou, said the construction of the CHPS compound would not only improve access to healthcare services but also enhance the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery to the people.
An opinion leader of the Tuedema community, Dan Acham, thanked the SOCO Project for their commitment, adding that “this project is a big relief for us, and we are truly grateful for the kind gesture extended to us, and we will ensure that this project serves generations yet unborn”.
The District Chief Executive for Builsa South, Ann Musah, commended the SOCO Project for its holistic approach to development, indicating that its interventions in health, education and market infrastructure were already making a visible difference in communities.
She described the scale of work completed across the district as impressive, emphasising that the projects inaugurated would significantly improve residents' living conditions and enhance service delivery at the community level.
