US$18.5m SOCO investment yields positive results in Northern Ghana

An investment of US$18.5 million made under phase I of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Projects has brought significant improvements to the lives of thousands of people in Northern Ghana, it has been revealed.

The project, aimed at economically empowering communities and making them resilient to vulnerabilities, has completed 530 infrastructure projects in its first year of implementation.

From the construction of roads and classroom blocks to the provision of access to healthcare and clean water, the SOCO project has made a tangible difference in the five northern regions and Oti region. Among the completed projects are 42 roads, 66 classroom blocks and teachers’ accommodations, 74 rural markets, 55 health facilities, 211 water facilities, including mechanised boreholes, boreholes with hand pumps, and small-town water systems, among many others.

Over 260,000 people are directly benefiting from these initiatives, with many more expected to be impacted in the project communities.

The Minister of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, highlighted the project’s achievements at a press soirée in Accra on Friday, July 26, 2024.

He said one of the most significant achievements of the SOCO projects is the creation of jobs and economic opportunities. “The SOCO project has created 3,748 jobs for community members through their participation in the construction of community infrastructure projects, enhanced the capacity of 4,709 local development actors, including MMDA staff and community members in local development planning and management, and provided technical and financial support to 9,954 farmers and rural enterprises,” he noted.

The SOCO project’s focus on community engagement and participation has also been a key factor in its success. By involving local stakeholders in the decision-making process, the project has ensured that the needs and priorities of the community are being addressed. As the SOCO project enters into its second phase beginning September 2024, the Local Government Minister described the outlook as “promising and bright.”

With an additional US$29 million investment, the project is expected to roll out even more initiatives, further solidifying its impact on the lives of the people in Northern Ghana. Adjei-Mensah Korsah called for collaboration with the media, highlighting their importance in the dissemination of information to the public. The Coordinator of the SOCO Project, Elizabeth Ohenewah Agyei, noted that mechanisms to prevent conflict are being exploited, leading to enthusiasm among communities and increased participation in decision-making. “The projects have been prioritized to meet the needs of the people. Every project is making an impact, and the people in the 1,400 benefiary communities are so happy with that,” she explained.

The Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) is a US$450 million World Bank-sponsored initiative being rolled out in four countries, namely: Ghana, Togo, Benin, and La Cote d’Ivoire.

In Ghana, the project, with an estimated cost of US$150 million, is being implemented in 48 municipal and district assemblies across six regions, namely the Northern, Savannah, Upper West, Upper East, North East, and Oti regions. The ambitious project seeks to proactively prevent the spread of conflict from the sahel, reduce the vulnerabilities of exposed border communities by investing in essential social services and infrastructure, create economic opportunities to improve youth employability prospects, and strengthen local institutions to provide a voice for the people to improve public trust.

By Stephen Odoi-Larbi

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