The Upper East Regional Coordinating Council has taken delivery of 164 motorcycles as part of the government’s Social Cohesive (SOCO) project.
The SOCO project seeks to improve the regional collaboration, socio-economic and climate resilience of border-zone communities in the Northern regions faced with conflict and climate risks.
According to the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, the government, through the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, received a credit facility of $150 million (out of the total $450 million) from the World Bank to implement the Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project.
The project will run in six regions in the northern parts of Ghana – namely the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, North East, Savannah and Oti regions.
The Upper East region is the first to benefit from the project with the delivery of the 164 motorcycles.
Addressing the media, Mr Yakubu further disclosed that, the projects will last for five years to strengthen local institutions and support vulnerable people (including youths) to act and play a role in prioritising local development investments, promoting social cohesion and trust in their communities.
The project also supports the civil and political inclusion of youth which is critical to channel their energy and aspirations to meaningful use.
In addition, the project will support the inclusion of pastoralist groups, who will be engaged as part of community-driven development approach in local activities to ensure project investments address broader needs.
Gender dimension has been integrated into the project design to ensure the project benefits vulnerable women to protect their livelihoods and foster economic opportunities in a safe and climate resilient manner.