Govt votes GH¢219 million for inner city, Zongo development
A bill to actualise the government’s agenda to transform the inner cities and Zongo communities into prosperous, inclusive and sustainably developed communities will be laid before Parliament by the end of July this year.
The Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, who announced this in Wa last Saturday, explained that the legal backing through the enactment of a law was to assure Ghanaians that the programme was not just a political gimmick.
He said the government had already voted GH¢219 million in this year’s budget for the start of the programme to transform the Zongo communities.
He was addressing a stakeholders’ forum in Wa last Saturday as a part of a country-wide tour to sensitise participants to the programme and solicit their input for the bill.
The participants included officials of the various municipal/district assemblies, paramount chiefs, queenmothers, Islamic scholars and other opinion leaders.
Communities
Alhaji Saddique said 600 of such communities had been identified from an initial survey to benefit from the Inner City and Zongo Development agenda.
He assured the public of the importance the government attached to the project, hence the establishment of a ministry under the Office of the President to see to the projects.
“The mission of this ministry is to co-ordinate, collaborate and facilitate critical interventions through affirmative actions that progressively address social, economic and infrastructure deficits and promote socio-economic development of inner city and Zongo communities,” he said.
He said those communities possessed enormous potential and employment avenues if properly developed.
He stated that it was in line with that that the government intended to transform the Zongo communities into modern and befitting neighbourhoods to give hope to the dwellers.
Collaboration
He said the ministry would collaborate with all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure that the development of the areas fitted into their set targets.
The Inner City and Zongo Development Minister, therefore, called for the support and partnership of the people towards the success of the project.
In a welcome address, the Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan, called for effective cooperation in the deliberations to pave the way for the realisation of the projects to improve the livelihoods of marginalised citizens.