Northern Region host Social Cohesion (SOCO) Conference on Wednesday, 27 March, 2024 aimed at fostering progress, coordination, collaborations, and partnerships for successful project delivery in the region.
Spearheaded by the Ministry of Local Governance, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD), the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project, operating across 48 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) within 6 Regions in Northern Ghana, seeks to mitigate conflict spread from the Sahel, enhance climate resilience, and fortify local institutions and economic opportunities in conflict-prone and climate-exposed regions.
Under the theme “Leveraging Digital Tools for Balanced and Coordinated Development in Northern Ghana,” Hon. Shani Alhassan Shaibu, the Northern Regional Minister, emphasized the project’s goals to bolster regional dialogue, economic opportunities, and public trust while curbing violence and climate risks.
He revealed that, Northern region, is a beneficiary of 51 sub-projects, which are all at various stages of completion. “At the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, we have our eyes to the ball, to ensure that these projects are completed on time and used for the intended purposes”, he stated.
He called on his Colleague Hon. Regional Ministers and Hon. MMDCEs, to actively engage in the discussions and explore how we can create, embrace innovation and adopt a coordinated approach to ensuring a more balanced development across all sectors.
Hon. O. B. Amoah, Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development, expressed optimism for the project’s second-year outlook, with an allocation of GHS 496,743,751 (USD 43,195,109) for infrastructure projects.
“The implementation of the second cycle is about to commence with the submission of 736 infrastructure subprojects for consideration and approval. This is categorized into 191 water facilities, 73 health facilities, 122 classroom blocks and accommodation for teachers, 34 roads, 62 markets, 35 culverts, 32 community ICT centres, 38 Football/volleyball parks/Tennis courts and 13 dams/irrigation etc. It is expected that these projects will be awarded on contracts by 10th June 2024”, he added.
According to him, the impending cycle includes diverse initiatives such as water and health facilities, roads, markets, ICT centers, and educational infrastructure.
Highlighting regional disparities, Amoah stressed the need for coordinated efforts to bridge the development gap between Northern and Southern Ghana.
He lauded the SOCO Project’s inaugural year accomplishments, including the completion of 556 projects, 42 roads, 66 classroom blocks and teacher’s accommodations, 74 rural markets, 55 health facilities, 228 water facilities with mechanized boreholes including hand pumps and small-town water systems.
He added that, the SOCO had also created 3748 jobs for community members through their participation in the construction of community infrastructure projects and strengthened the capacity of 4709 local development actors including staff of MMDAs for local development planning management.
The conference served as a platform for stakeholders to strategize on leveraging digital tools for holistic development, emphasizing inclusivity, innovation, and coordinated efforts to address regional challenges. As Northern Ghana charts its developmental trajectory, collaborative endeavors like the SOCO Project aim to foster sustainable progress and resilience in the region.
