Accra: Mr. Robin Mearns, Director of the Global Department for Social Development at the World Bank, has expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project. He highlighted the project’s impressive progress during a stakeholders’ forum held in Tamale to evaluate its impact on the Northern Region.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Mearns noted, “The project is making tremendous progress. In just two years of the five-year implementation period, 40 percent of the funds has been disbursed, and targets are already being exceeded.” The forum saw participation from representatives of the World Bank, Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and other implementing partners.
During the forum, various development initiatives in education, health infrastructure, water and sanitation, community roads, youth and sports, and markets were presented. The SOCO project, funded by the World Bank and initiated by the Ministry of Local Government, aims to boost social cohesion and economic resilience in the northern border regions.
Mr. Mearns emphasized the importance of expanding the project, stating, “As Director of the Global Department for Social Development, I am convinced of the need to expand this project to strengthen community support systems and improve livelihoods.”
Northern Regional Minister, Mr. Ali Adolf John, commended the project’s potential to enhance infrastructure development and improve the quality of life for local communities. He urged the World Bank to consider scaling up the project to maintain and build upon the achievements made thus far.
Mr. Samuel Seth Passah, Director of Local Governance and Decentralisation at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its support of the government’s rural development efforts.