In Bolgatanga, Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia unveiled the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project, a multi-nation development initiative.
In response to the emergence of extremism in the West African region, the SOCO Project is a US$450 million multi-country credit facility project that the governments of Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, and Benin have secured from the World Bank. The project aims to improve facilities and security in the northern regions and border towns of the four West African countries.
When the project was introduced on Friday (25 November) in Bolgatanga, Bawumia disclosed that the Ghanaian government had secured US$150 million of the total US$450 million facility to implement the project in 48 metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) in six regions of the nation, distributed as follows: The following districts have district assemblies: Northern has eight (8), North East has six (6), Upper East has all fifteen (15) districts, Upper West has all eleven (11) districts, Savannah has four (4), and Oti has four (4).
"A very essential and timely intervention aimed at tackling certain critical emergent and recurring difficulties in the northern region of Ghana," was how Bawumia characterized the initiative.
The project, he continued, "has been conceived and designed to address the effects of spillover from 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."
The Vice President further clarified that for the Ghana initiative, the project will primarily target border communities in these areas, where the populace is exposed to and sensitive to terrorism threats from the Sahel Region, particularly women and youth.
In light of the projected worsening of the situation if the necessary actions are not swiftly implemented, countries all over the world are exploring ways to solve these difficulties, according to Bawumia.
"The initiative, as it is now conceived, considers regional perspectives and the impact of the problems that the four nations share, while also permitting country-led actions that address local requirements. Additionally, it makes use of knowledge exchange on fragilities, climate-related hazards, and conflict avoidance by the impacted countries in the four (4) participating Gulf of Guinea countries.
In order to give the populace, especially the most vulnerable, a voice to participate in, influence, and play a crucial role in the prioritization of local development investments, as well as to promote social cohesion and foster trust in their communities, the project will also prioritize the needs of communities and strengthen local institutions.
The spread of conflict from the Sahel has put the lives of over 16 million residents of the northern regions of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo in danger for almost ten years, making them more vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
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