Government to empower Zongos to be economically viable – Hamid

The Minister for Inner-city and Zongo development Mustapha Hamid has said President Akufo-Addo’s vision for Zongo communities as encapsulated in the Coordinated Programme for Economic and Social Development Policies (2017-2024), is to “support the provision of critical infrastructure in education and training, health and sanitation, local businesses and centres of culture, as well as improve security.”

According to Hamid, the Ministry has initiated a number of socio-economic programmes that are aimed at developing the human capacities of the people in Zongo communities, empowering them to be economically productive as well as supporting the promotion of their indigenous businesses in order to improve household incomes.

He said this while responding to Parliamentary question field by the Member of Parliament for Garu Albert Akuka Alalzuuga asking the Minister what programs the Ministry has put in place to improve livelihood in Zongo communities in the country.

The Zongo Ministry disclosed that, the Ministry is working with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) to train selected women across Zongo communities who have businesses in especially Zongo cuisine like “waakye,” “sobolo,” “tubaani,” “kooko,” “wasawasa” and the rest, first of all, to improve the development and packaging of these foods in order to add value and increase incomes associated with these businesses.

The NBSSI also aims to accredit some of these women who shall become ready sources of provision of these foods to conferences, meetings and hotels.

He said, there is also the Zongo Coders Programme, which is to train, improve and redirect the ICT skills of the youth in Zongo communities into productive ventures.

He also indicated that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Business Development and Access Bank, “we are in the final stages of a collaboration that will allow Access Bank to provide capital to businesses in Zongo communities. This programme should be rolled out in the first quarter of 2019.”

“Ultimately the President believes that the country as a whole will develop on its human resource. Therefore, we have a program with the Yankaaa Association (an association of Zongo residents in the United States of America) and other N005 to provide books to schools in Zongo communities as a Way or improving learning."

“We shall in 2019 embark on a Programme to provide classroom blocks and furniture to schools in Zongo communities as a way of improving access to education,” he stressed.