OVER 10 PROJECT SITES HANDED OVER TO CONTRACTORS IN KWD UNDER SOCO 19th NOV., 2023

A number of sites earmarked for the construction of several projects ranging from market stalls, CHPS compounds, Culverts, mechanized boreholes to a butcher shop and more, have been handed over to contractors for execution across several communities in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.

Kassena-Nankana West District Chief Executive [DCE], Hon. Gerard Ataogye who led a team including his District Coordinating Director, Mr. Abubakari Amadu and other technical officers to hand over these sites to contractors, disclosed that all these projects fall under the SOCO Sub-Projects. The SOCO Project is a 150 million US-Dollar World Bank loan facility procured by the Government of Ghana, for the implementation of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion Project [SOCO] and Kassena-Nankana West is one of the 48 beneficiary metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the six project regions.

Hon. Ataogye Speaking To Nabango Community Leaders

The regions are the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Savannah, North East and Oti Regions of Ghana.

On 16^th November, 2023 which marked day one of the handing over sessions, Hon. Ataogye and his team made their first stop in the Sirigu community at about 10:00 AM, where a site for the construction of a 2-Number 16-Unit market stalls facility at the animal market, was handed over to a contractor. The contractor is scheduled to move his materials and equipment to site to commence works within 14 days from this date while the whole project is expected to be completed within three months.

The DCE noted that under the SOCO Project, it was the communities that deliberated and chose their own priority projects and not the Authorities dumping just anything on the communities. He thus charged the chief, elders and community members to own the project and give the contractors the needed support to execute projects and deliver a quality job.

Secretary to the Sirigu Naba, Hon. Eden Akurugu thanked the Assembly for the quick response to their request, noting that though the community had other equally important needs, the market stalls topped their list at the moment.

The DCE’s team then moved to Kandiga and handed over site for the completion of a CHPS compound in Atibabiisi that had stalled at the lintel level for some years. Here, the Upper East SOCO Zonal Engineer, Ahaji Danladi Salifu in his remarks insisted that the contractor completes the project within the three-month stipulated period and also ensure that, he employs 40 percent of women as his local labour force. The contractor, Bulba Company Ltd., promised to do just that and to also deliver the project on time.

The Nabango community opted for a mechanized water system and the DCE stopped over there too and handed over site to the contractor, Awalna Engineering Services who is to drill a borehole, lay distribution lines and install an overhead polytank that will pump water to the people. The day’s rounds however climaxed in the Gonum community in Mirigu with Hon. Gerard Ataogye, handing over site for the construction of a triple 1.8 metre diametre culvert over a stream that divides the community two halves and impedes a cross over during the rainy seasons.

The Gonum River to Receive a Culvert

Presenting the contract documents to the contractor, the DCE noted that SOCO Project had also engaged community facilitators in all the beneficiary communities and also put in place community implementation committees in each cluster of communities to help supervise the works. He thus expressed hope that all these oversight layers will work together and collaborate effectively to ensure that everything resulted in a quality finishing that will stand the test of time.

In the north zone of the district, four communities in the larger Kajelo enclave including Kachono, Navem, Kayilo and Biba each are receiving a solar mechanized borehole to aid their dry season farming activities. Meanwhile, the site for a butcher shop project was also handed over for completion in the Paga new market.

The assignment of these project sites will terminate on Monday 20^th November, 2023 in the west zone of the district. This will see the handing over of sites for completion of a CHPS compound in Kanania, construction of a triple 1.8 metre diametre culvert in Gwenia, construction of 2-Number 16-Unit market stalls in Katiu and a community social centre in Kayoro.

All the projects mentioned in this report cost several hundreds of thousands of Ghana Cedis and are to be repaid by the Ghanaian taxpayer. For instance, the total cost for the rehabilitation of the Nakolo health centre, completion of the Kandiga-Atibabiisi CHPS compound and the rehabilitation of the Kanania CHPS compound is pegged at 998,943.50 Ghana Cedis. Of the amount, a total of 149,641.53 Ghana Cedis is set aside for the payment of unskilled labor.

Meanwhile, 548,007 Ghana Cedis makes up the total cost for the construction of four solar-mechanized boreholes in the Kajelo communities and 82,201.05 Ghana Cedis of the amount is budgeted for unskilled labor payments.