Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua
THE Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Ofosu Asamoah, has commended managers of the Social Investment Fund (SIF) for their efforts at mobilising funds to develop communities in the various districts in the region.
Available records indicate that the SIF has spent GH¢2,106,740.06 on the construction of 45 primary schools, 15 junior high schools, 16 clinics in the rural areas, nine nurses’ quarters, one library and four water and sanitation facilities in the region.
Mr Asamoah made the commendation at the national launch of the 10th anniversary of the SIF at Mfranta in the Suhum/Kraboa Coaltar District.
The event, which was attended by top government and SIF officials, was to drum home the benefits of the SIF to the people.
According to Mr Ofosu Asamoah, the concept of the SIF had resulted in the mobilisation of GH¢361,000 from 14 district assemblies in the region, as well as GH¢212,000 from the local beneficiaries as their social and direct investment in the development of their communities in terms of social amenities and other initiatives that would improve the lot of the people.
He added that the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) would continue to co-operate with the region’s development partners to accelerate its progress.
The deputy regional minister said that would increase access of the poor to basic and social necessities so as to reduce and ultimately eliminate poverty in the region and Ghana as a whole.
Mr Ofosu Asamoah, therefore, advised communities that had benefited from social amenities funded by the SIF to ensure that the facilities were properly maintained for the benefit of succeeding generations.
A Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor Gyan Baffour whose speech was read by a director of the ministry, Mr Kobina Amoah, said Ghana had since 1957, been making efforts to reduce poverty.
He said the Ghana Living Standard Survey had indicated that the country had cut poverty levels from 51.7 per cent in 1991 to 39.5 per cent in 1999 and 28.5 per cent in 2005.
Prof. Gyan Baffour said although the poverty level had been falling, it was still undesirable and that had necessitated the NPP Administration to opt for the HIPC initiative.
He added that it had gone a long way to reduce poverty and improved the living standard of the people.
Throwing more light on the SIF, the deputy minister, said the fund, which was in existence two years before the NPP took over the administration of the country, was not performing well due to management problems that had stalled its projects.
He said for that reason, the fund had to be revitalised to respond to the needs of more than 1,000 communities and 1.1 million people that accounted for 16 per cent of the poor.
Prof. Gyan Buffour stated that up to date, the SIF had provided 1,046 sub projects mainly classroom blocks, teachers’ quarters, rural clinics, and potable water to directly benefit poor people living in about 108 districts in the country.
Such an initiative, he said, had gone a long way to improve the lot of the people thereby reducing poverty in the communities.
Earlier on, the Executive Director of the SIF, Ms Ama Serwaa, had traced the history of the SIF and said it was founded in 1998 with an initial fund of US$18.5 million out of which 81 per cent was from the African Development Fund while the rest was made available by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) She stated that the fund had three objectives.
They are facilitating access by the poor to basic economic and social infrastructure and service through direct investment to improve their sustainability; enhancing access of the poor to financial service and strengthening community-based organisation, non-governmental organisations, indigenous micro-finance institutions and local government administrations in support of the overall goal of poverty alleviation.
No comments:
Post a Comment