Official appeals to communities to handle EU projects well

Wa, Aug 14, GNA- Regions which perform below expectation in the implementation of the third phase of the Fifth European Union Micro Projects Programme will not be considered for the sixth programme, which begins in 2005.

Dr Kwaku Osafo, the National Programme Manager of the Programme, said donors are not impressed with the performance of some of the beneficiary districts during the second phase that ends in September this year.

He was giving an overview of the fifth programme at a forum of stakeholders in the Upper West Region on Tuesday.

District Chief Executives, District co-ordinating Directors, Presiding members, Planning officers and accounts officers of the various assemblies participated in the forum.

He said by September, 1,230 EU project would have been implemented in Ashanti, Central, Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Volta regions under the first and second phases.

Dr Osafo said 45 billion cedis is being spent in the execution of 605 projects and these include school blocks, clinics, toilets, boreholes and markets for deprived and vulnerable communities under the second phase.

He said 600 projects have been earmarked for implementation during the third phase of the EU programme that begins next October and ends in July 2004.

Dr Osafo said the second phase encountered a lot of problems because stocks were not properly kept while people who were in-charge of the projects did not want to buy cement from GHACEM and preferred other sources.

He appealed to officials to be honest and transparent since the projects are meant for the most deprived in the communities and any cheating was bound to have adverse effects on them.

Mr Godfrey Bayong Tcangu, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive, appealed to the beneficiaries to show commitment to the programme by respecting policies and guidelines of the micro projects monitoring unit. This, he said, would not only enable them to collaborate with the programme but also succeed in addressing poverty affecting the people. He said the Wa District Assembly has, within the last two years, built nine schools, 30 market stores, 48 market sheds, three boreholes and a number of toilets through the EU programme.