All fifteen Municipalities and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the Upper East Region will benefit from the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project.
The project is a multi-country US$450 million credit facility from the World Bank to be implemented in four Gulf of Guinea countries; Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo.
It would be implemented by the Ministry for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development in Ghana across 48 Districts in six Regions namely; the Upper East, North East, Upper West, Northern, Savannah and Oti Regions.
Vice President Dr. Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia at the launch of the project in Bolgatanga, said apart from the 15 MDAs in the Upper East Region, all 33 MMDAs in the five Regions would benefit from the SOCO project.
He said the aim of the project was to prevent the spread of conflicts from the Sahel Region, strength local institutions and improve economic opportunities for women and youth who were the most vulnerable to threats of terrorism.
Dr. Bawumia described the initiative as important and timely, and would address some of the key emerging and re-occurring challenges in northern Ghana.
“The project has been conceived and designed to address the effects of the spill over of conflict and extremism in the Sahel Region to reduce vulnerability because of the exposure of climate change and to strengthen local institutions and improve the economic opportunities and build public trust,” he said.
The Vice President said apart from the 15 MDAs in the Upper East Region, eight Districts in Northern Region, four Districts in Savannah, six in North East, 11 in Upper West and four in the Oti Region would also benefit from the project.
The Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Hon. Daniel Botwe, who spoke on the area of investment, said US$112.5 million representing 70 percent of the facility would be invested in community resilience and inclusion in border areas based on medium-term vision in the implementing communities.
He added that US$22.5 million constituting 20 percent would be invested in strategic economic activity for local economic development, while US$5.63 million representing five percent would target youth engagement and social cohesion activities.
The Country Director of the World Bank, Mr. Pierre Laporte said there was an up surge across the Gulf of Guinea sub-region where multiple crises converged, external pressure of conflict, climate change and COVID-19 had compounded challenges of poverty, exclusion and weak government, and inequality.
He said the lack of opportunities for the youth, intercommunity tensions and structural fragilities posed security challenges to the Gulf of Guinea countries that face serious threats of rapidly escalating Sahel conflicts.
Mr. Laporte added that in response to such borderless threats called for “Thinking regionally and acting locally” with regional coordinated solutions that would effectively respond to local threats.