SOCO Projects numbering 217 has been executed in the Upper East Region. Apexnewsgh reports This was revealed during a press soiree hosted by SOCO. Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper East Regional Minister, took the stage to celebrate the project’s profound impact on local communities. Dr. Bin Salih outlined how the SOCO Project has become a beacon of hope and development, significantly improving the lives of residents across the region. The project has invested heavily in critical sectors, bringing a wealth of positive changes that can be clearly seen in the everyday lives of the people. One of the standout achievements has been in education, where 18 new schools have been constructed, offering children a more conducive environment for learning. The healthcare sector has also seen significant advancements, with 25 health facilities established, thereby enhancing access to medical care and strengthening the overall healthcare infrastructure. Economic empowerment has been a focal point of the project, as evidenced by the creation of 26 rural markets that are helping local businesses thrive and invigorate economic activity within the communities. Infrastructure development has not lagged behind; 16 roads and culverts have been built, effectively improving connectivity and facilitating trade among the region’s towns and villages. In terms of sanitation and hygiene, the construction of 108 WASH facilities has greatly improved living conditions and health outcomes for many families. Additionally, the SOCO Project has made strides in agriculture and community engagement by building a small earth dam for water storage, ensuring that agricultural activities can flourish. Four social centers have also been established, providing spaces for community gatherings and support. In total, the project has successfully implemented 217 physical sub-projects across 15 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), a testament to its commitment to fostering positive change. Looking ahead, Dr. Bin Salih revealed exciting plans for 2024, with 323 new sub-projects on the horizon. The procurement processes have already been completed, and construction is set to begin, further extending the project’s reach. Additionally, around 800 Common Interest Groups will soon benefit from the Local Economic Development (LED) Grant, which is expected to support over 24,000 people in the region. The SOCO Project isn’t just a local initiative; it’s part of a larger vision aimed at enhancing social cohesion and economic resilience across northern Ghana, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo. As the sun sets over the Upper East Region, the future looks brighter than ever, fueled by the promise of continued growth and development. Apexnewsgh.com
Dorongo Community and more to benefit from SOCO Project–MCE
The Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Rex Asanga has revealed some of the projects the Assembly is going to execute with the SOCO fund. Mr. Asanga who expresses thankful to the government says, the SOCO project is going to benefit 48 districts in 5 northern regions and Oti region. “So, this year our Municipality is going to receive a little more than (Ghc 4 million) Four Million Ghana Cedis”. He hinted The Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project was launched in November 2022, by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia Ghana’s Vice President in the Upper East Regional Capital Bolgatanga. The project is expected to reach over 4,600 border-zone communities across the northern Gulf of Guinea sub-region and in Ghana, specifically 48 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in six regions in the north will be direct beneficiaries of the SOCO project. Meanwhile, engaging the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive Mr. Rex Asanga to find Assembly plans ahead of his share of SOCO project fund, he said “We intend to spend this money on a number of projects. The Dorongo Dam used to be a place where vegetable production for the entire Dorongo Community was very lucrative and over the years the Dam has silted up, it has slited up entire vegetable cultivation is getting out. So we have decided that we are going to spend part of the money on the first phase to rehabilitate this dam within Dorongo”. He said, the Assembly has decided that they are going to sink a number of boreholes in selected communities to make water available for dry season irrigation farming. According to him, once they tried that and is successful they are going to go all out as a municipality to provide mechanized borehole to all the communities where irrigation farming is taking place. “We are going to spend quite an amount of it in the provision of a mechanized borehole. If you go around the municipality, you would realize that dry season gardening has become one of the main economic activities and in fact next to basket waving. That is really employing a lot of youth. So, if you go to a place where the dry season is taking place, you don’t find the youth there traveling out. Many young people in the municipality are no longer leaving to the south in the dry season, they just need a pumping machine and water source. So, they don’t need to travel to Accra –Kumasi to look for none existing jobs. So as Assembly, we have decided that we are going to kind of try to provide a number of Mechanize boreholes to selected communities because one of the major problems they are facing is water. Sometimes, they start the season very well, pumping the water from the stream or from a dam, and then, during a certain stage of growth of the crop, then the water dried up. So, we decided that we are going to sink a number of the borehole in selected communities to make water available for dry season irrigation farming and once we tried this and is successful we are going to go all out as a municipality to provide mechanized borehole to all the communities where irrigation farming is taking place”. He stressed In Education, Mr. Asanga said, the Assembly is going to build more classroom blocks and rehabilitate others, especially at the JSS level. “We have some JSS, the condition of their infrastructure especially the classroom, is not very good”. He revealed In the area of decongestion, the MCE said they tried last year using our own resources and the Common Fund to open up some of the roads in the municipality and a lot of people are happy with what the Assembly did. “With this enhanced facility that is coming to help us in addition to other facilities we are going to open a lot more roads” He insisted “We have also decided to spend some of the money under this SOCO project to open up more roads. Everybody is complaining that apart from the main street, you can drive around but when you want to enter any suburb, then you find out there is no road. The plans are there, the roads are there except that they have not been opened up”. Source: Apexnewsgh.com/GhanaFor publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email apexnewsgh@gmail.com









