Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has joined the Overlord of Dagbon Traditional Area, HRM Ya-Naa Abukari Mahama to cut sod for construction works to begin on the 582 projects under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO).
Speaking at the sod cutting ceremony on 25th October, 2023, in Yendi, Dr. Bawumia emphasized on the significance of the $150Million Credit Facility SOCO Projects, secured by the Government of Ghana from the World Bank, which are being executed in 48 beneficiary Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), in six regions, predominately the Northern part of the country, as it a timely intervention to address some key and emerging challenges the part of the country, per experts advice.
“The distribution is as follows: Northern (8) District Assemblies, Upper East- all 15 District Assemblies, Upper West- all 11 District Assemblies, Savannah (4) District Assemblies and Oti (4) District Assemblies”, he said.
Dr. Bawumia noted that, the project has been structured and designed to address the spillover of conflicts and extremism from the Sahel Region, reduce vulnerability due to exposure to the impacts of climate change; strengthen local institutions; improve economic opportunities and build public trust.
He added that the project “…focuses mostly on boarders communities in these Regions where the citizenry especially women and youth are exposed and susceptible to the threats of terrorism from the Sahel Region. Thus, the Project focuses on dealing with issues related to Fragility, Conflict, Violence (FCV)”.
