GDCA/PARTNERS IMPLEMENTS FOUR YEAR DEV’T PROGRAMME

GDCA/PARTNERS IMPLEMENTS FOUR YEAR DEV’T PROGRAMME

The Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) and the Youth Empowerment for Life (YEfL) in partnership with its Danish partners, have started the implementation of a four year development programme in the Northern Region of Ghana dubbed: “Empowerment for Life (EfL) worth UDS$3,832,298.14 (GH¢5, 554,055.28).

The programme which spans from 1^st January, 2010 and ends in 31^st December, 2014 is aimed at empowering the poor, vulnerable and marginalised target groups in the region to have the capacity and ability to improve their quality of life through education, employment, local organisation as well as better access to and management of food and water resources on the basis of a rights-based approach.

The Programme Advocacy and Communications Officer of GDCA, Rosemond Somaya Kumah in an address at a media orientation workshop, said the multimillion dollar programme would among other things target a primary group of 66,545 people and a secondary group consisting of 64,815 in fourteen Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Northern Region.

Thus, the media orientation workshop, according to her, was intended to introduce the programme to the media and as well build relations for effective collaboration in the implementation of the project.

She explained that the project which has been grouped in two phases would be implemented in the Tamale Metropolis, Yendi, Tolon-Kumbungu, Savelugu-Nanton, Karaga, Gushiegu, Saboba, Chereponi, Nanumba North, Nanumba South, Zabzugu, West Mamprusi, East Gonja and Kpandai.

“The first phase covers the period from 1^st January 2010 to 31^st December 2011 whilst the second phase covers the period from 1^st January 2012 to 31^st December 2014”, she pointed out.

Mrs. Kumah further expatiated that the programme would rely on strategies that would focus more on advocacy as compared to service delivery saying, “the EfL programme would focus on tracking all root causes of inequalities and making them known to those who should fulfil those rights”.

Whilst supporting the right holders to demand their rights, giving voice to voiceless, she also mentioned that capacity building would be organised to help duty-bearers and right-holders with the needed capacity to carry out their roles and responsibilities.

The GDCA Programme Advocacy and Communications Officer therefore, implored the media to help the NGO and its partners to succeed with the aforementioned strategies.

The Local Organisation and Mobilisation (LOM) Sub-Component Coordinator, Gmabi Alaika Philip, explained that the programme will seek to strengthen and empower 2,500 individuals in Community Based Organisations (CBOs), women and youth groups to lead their communities to determine their priorities and to pursue these priorities.

According to him, the implementers would further reinforce the CBO network structures and enhance networking of CBOs in the 14 districts to form a strong pressure group and also influence the design and proper implementation of pro-poor policies at regional and national levels in the most effective way.

He stated that key focal areas such as gender and youth issues, good governance issues, environmental problems and peace building initiatives will be looked at during the implementation at the various levels.

Mr. Alaika cited the MMDAs, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, traditional authorities, NGOs and local NGOs, the Security Agencies and the media as active collaborators in every stage of the programme.

Under the Local Organization and Mobilization component in the first phase of the project, the project seeks to enhance the District Assembly concept of inclusiveness by increasing the number of women in MMDAs from 8% to at least 20% by September 2010.

It would also seek to have provision of law in the constitution that require Chief Executives to be elected by December 2010 and also make sure that roads in Northern Region with focus on Tamale-Nawuni and Eastern corridor roads awarded to contract by December 2010.

Besides, 60% of roads will by December 2010 be engineered, constructed and asphalted while put in place on the agenda of relevant stakeholders the issue of managing the activities of the Fulani Herdsmen in Northern Region by December 2011.