18 million for SADA Millennium Village Project

Tamale, Sept. 16, GNA - British Department for International Development (DFID) in collaboration with Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) is to establish an 18-million SADA Millennium Village Project (MVP) in operational areas in the north.

The project, which would begin on pilot basis, would cover portions of West Mamprusi District in Northern Region and Builsa District in Upper East Region and benefitting 30,000 people.

Dr Joseph Mensah-Homiah, Team Leader, MVP, announced this at a validation workshop for the establishment of SADA MVP in Tamale on Thursday.

The workshop which was on the theme: 93Accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone," attracted Mr Moses Mabengba, Northern Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, regional economic planning officers, SADA officials, including its newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Gilbert Seidu Iddi and development partners.

Dr Mensah-Homiah said A315 million would be used for major interventions in areas such as infrastructure development, while A31.6 million would be used for monitoring and evaluation and A31.5 million for technical assistance and backstopping.

He said the project which has a five- year duration would begin in October this year.

Mr Mabengba, said the establishment of the MVP offered a great opportunity for SADA and DFID to join forces in contributing to address the challenges confronting, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

He said the MVP was explicitly linked to achieving the MDGs and creating wealth at the local level in an:integrated and scaled-up set of target investments based on recommendations of the United National Millennium Project".

Mr Mabengba said the MVP interventions would cover the areas of food production, nutrition, education, health services, roads, energy, communications, enterprise development, environmental management and business development.

The Regional Minister said it was worth noting that, the establishment of the MVP in Amansie West District of Ashanti Region had helped to reduce, from the baseline levels, underweight growth by two per cent and stunting growth by 7 per cent.

It has also increased enrolment figures in the district by nearly 40 per cent, increased the proportion of births attended to by skilled personnel by 30 per cent and doubled crop yields of maize and cocoa.