[ 2012-04-28 ]

$4.2m World Bank Grant For KMA
Ampofo The World Bank has awarded a grant of $4.2
million under its Urban Development Grant (UDG) to
the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to
undertake development projects following the
declaration of Kumasi as the best managed
metropolis in the country.

The KMA was the only metropolitan assembly that
met the entire criteria set by the World Bank and
the Ministry of Local Government and Rural
Development for the grant.

Among the criteria was effective internal revenue
generation, waste management, performance of key
staff of the assembly, and the application of
procurement laws.

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the Minister of Local
Government and Rural Development, who made this
known at the opening of a two-day workshop on the
urban poverty reduction project of the Social
Investment Fund (SIF), in Kumasi today also
revealed that the KMA had besides the UDG,
consistently met the criteria for financial
support under the District Development Fund (DDF)
and had consequently been benefitting from it.

Organized by the SIF, the workshop was attended by
political administrative decision makers including
metropolitan and municipal chief executives,
presiding members and planning officers among
others from the 14 assemblies that were benefiting
from the SIF.

While commended Mr Samuel Sarpong, the Mayor of
Kumasi and the entire assembly for doing “a very
good job” Mr Ofosu-Ampofo was not happy about the
delivery of the other metropolitan assemblies said
“one of them even scored zero in the assessment.
“

He expressed regret that 'while money is sitting
down for you (assemblies) to grab, you continue to
sit down and fold your alms by refusing to do what
is expected of you.'

The minister took on the Accra Metropolitan
Assembly for sitting down for filth to engulf
parts of the city and called for proactive
measures to reverse the situation.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said gradually urban poverty was
outstripping rural poverty due to factors notably
the rural urban migration.

It was against this backdrop that the government
of Ghana secured an Africa Development Fund
facility of $37. 5 million and added a local
component of $1.6 million for the five-year urban
poverty reduction project, which ends in June
2012.

He was happy about the successes chalked by the
project and expressed the hope that the project
would be extended.

Among the successes were the disbursement of
GH˘1.6 million in loans to 3,000 small-scale
enterprises, provision of 241 projects in the
health, education, water and sanitation sectors in
14 MMDAs, and capacity training for staff of MMDAs
among others.

In spite of the achievements, the minister was
convinced that there was still more to do to reach
the expected heights.

Consequently, he charged the participating
assemblies to among others find ways of
implementing effective and efficient ways of
implementing the Public-Private Partnership since
the government alone could not continuously bear
the responsibility of the needed socio-economic
infrastructure.

The minister mentioned the rate at which some of
the municipal assemblies were growing and
indicated that Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region
for instance was knocking at the door of a
metropolis.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku
Agyemang-Mensah, stressed the need for action to
tackle violence and insecurity in urban areas,
which had become a major threat to quality life in
major cities and towns.

He described poverty as the worst enemy of society
and any attempt to reduce it was in the right
direction.

Prof. J.M. Quartey-Papafio, the board chairman of
SIF, stressed the negative consequences of urban
poverty and said the assemblies had a crucial role
to play in eradicating it.

Source - Daily Graphic

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