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By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, Aug 25, GNA – A total of 90 motorbikes have been distributed among eight Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to help them in the implementation of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion Project (SOCO).
The beneficiary MMDAs included Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Yendi, Nanumba North, Sagnarigu, and Gushegu Municipalities, and Karaga, Saboba and Tatale-Sanguli Districts.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, who handed over the motorbikes to the Chief Executives of the beneficiary MMDAs in Tamale for onward distribution to project officers within their jurisdictions, said the motorbikes were crucial for the successful implementation of the project.
The SOCO is a US$ 450 million multi-country project being implemented in Benin, Cote D’ Ivoire, Togo, and Ghana with support from the World Bank, and the Government of Ghana’s allocation is a total of US$ 150 million credit facility (Loan).
The project aims at providing support to the northern parts of the Gulf of Guinea countries that are hardest hit by fragilities due to food insecurity and climate change, conflict, and violence.
The project is expected to finance investment in sub-projects such as feeder roads, small earth dams, boreholes, and social infrastructure such as markets, schools with complement of furniture, CHPS Compounds, ICT centres and recreational facilities such as astro turfs and parks.
Alhaji Saibu cautioned the MMDAs about the use and maintenance of motorbikes saying “These are tools that have been given to you to work with. Make sure that you keep them in good condition, they are serviceable, and use them for the purpose for which they have been given.
“This is from the taxpayers’ pocket, and we have to treat it as such. We have to be accountable to the taxpayer.”
He added that “It is not for free. Nobody should think that it is just a gift. So, anything that is a gift, they do not respect it. I urge you all to use it and use it wisely for the benefit for which it has been given to you.”
Mr Samuel Forson, Tamale Zonal Coordinator of SOCO, explained that “As part of SOCO’s implementation, there is supposed to be a structure at the community level made up of a committee called Project Implementation Committee. Amongst these are two selected persons, who are supposed to be community facilitators linking up the MMDAs to the community level. They will lead project implementation at the community level and in the clusters.”
He added that “they are supposed to be resourced for them to function and one of the equipment and tools that they are going to be equipped with will be motorbikes” hence the distribution of the motorbikes for them to perform their functions.
He added: “The clusters must function, and if they must function, it will all depend on these motorbikes and how they are used.”
Alhaji Abdulai Yaquob, Nanumba North Municipal Chief Executive, who is also Dean of MMDCEs in the Northern Region and received the motorbikes on behalf of his colleague MMDCEs, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, SOCO Secretariat and the Zonal Office for the gesture.
He gave assurance that the motorbikes would be put to good use for which they had been given, adding that their maintenance structure would be observed for them to last their span.
GNA
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