Gov’t to make funding Zongo Dev’t a binding law

Government will make the funding of the Zongo Development Fund a law so that there will always be available funds for use, the vice president has said.

“We are going to make sure that the funding is captured into law,” Dr Mahamudu Bawumia stressed. “We don’t want any government to come and say there is no money.” Dr Bawumia made this known at the 25th National Da’awa Education Conference of the Ahlussunna Wal Jama’a in Cape Coast, the Central Region. It was held on Friday, April 28 on the theme: ‘Religion as a Guide for Polluted Advancement’. Dr Bawumia expressed the commitment of government to see the development of Zongo communities in order to get a large, if not all, of the indwellers “enlightened”. He says that is the motive behind the allocation of GH¢219 million for the Zongo Development Fund in the 2017 budget.

That is a huge money, he insisted. According to him, the combination of the annual allocation of five ministries will not match that amount.

But he said to ensure that the Fund is sustainable, a legislation will be put before Parliament to make it mandatory for all future governments to provide funds for purposes of developing the Zongos. “So, it is up to us how we use the money.” He explained that all these are key principles of governance, to improve the living conditions of the people. The government’s commitment to the development of Zongos has seen it create the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development with Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique as sector minister.