EU hands over vehicles

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA - The European Union on Friday handed over 86 vehicles and computers with accessories worth more than a million Euros to Micro Projects Management Units (MPMU) in 79 Districts for the sixth Micro Projects Programme (MPP).

The sixth MPP follows five successive MPPs aimed at complementing the Government's effort to increase access and utilization of quality basic social and economic infrastructure and services to deprived communities.

The programme provides clinics, schools, markets, teachers and nurses quarters, boreholes, abattoirs, culverts, KVIPs as well other productive activities in the Agro industry sector in the six core regions of the Eastern, Central, Upper West, upper East, Northern and Volta Region.

Finance Minister Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, said the sixth MPP will reinforce the Growth and Poverty-Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II) by augmenting physical, financial and technical resources available for enhancing basic infrastructure, income generation and capacity development for the primary benefit of the rural and peri-urban poor. Ghana, he said, continued to enjoy good relations with the EU and had enjoyed benefits to the tune of 50.1 million Euros from the five successive micro project interventions.

The interventions had led to the construction of about 3,767 projects throughout the country. The sixth, he said had a total European Development Fund (EDF) budget of 286.625 billion cedis and counterpart funding budget of 25 billion cedis for the 79 participating districts. He gave the breakdown of the districts as 17 in Eastern; 13 Central; eight in Upper West; Eight in Upper East; 18 in Northern and 15 in Volta Region.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said 539 projects would be implemented during the first phase of the programme, which commenced in July 2006 to be completed in December 2007.

Mr Feliberto Ceriani Sebregondi, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of European Union in Ghana, said micro projects at the local level had economic and social impact on the lives of the people; met a demonstrated and observed priority need and would be undertaken at the initiative and participation of the beneficiary community. He noted that the involvement of the local community and local authorities in the development process translated the willingness of the EU and Ghana to achieve poverty reduction through the mobilization of the poor themselves.

He said the presentation of the single cabin pick-ups and one desktop computer with a printer to every participating District Assembly was to enhance the close supervision and monitoring of the projects. This, he said, would be supported by Micro-Projects Programme Management Unit, Zonal Coordinators and by Technical Supervision, Consultants and Audit Consultants.

He said the Government and the EU were in the process of programming their cooperation covering the period 2008 - 2013, in line with the GPRS II under the recommendation of the African Peer Review Mechanism and the development policy of the EU.

Another proposal to design a District Development Funding Facility to pool funds for Government from its development partners. This would encourage the development of robust national procedures and increase transparency and accountability of local government.

He said the EU supported the implementation of the National Decentralization Action Plan and would in the near future provide sector budget support if all the necessary preconditions were met. 13 Oct. 06