USAID-Ghana provides over $400,000 grants to 14 Civil Society Organizations
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Ghana, on Monday disbursed $416,560 small grants to 14 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operating in the Western Region at Sekondi.
The amount was disbursed through the USAID Local Governance and Decentralization Programme (LOGOODEP).
Ms Cheryl Anderson, Mission Director USAID-Ghana, presented certificates for the grants to the CSOs which include the United Civil Society, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF), Action for Rural Education, African Women International and Berea Social Foundation.
The others are Action for Rural Education, Advocates and Trainers for Children and Women Advancement and Right (ACTWAR), Life Relief Foundation, Media Foundation for West Africa and Community Aid for Rural Development.
The rest are Green Earth Organization, Youth Bridge Foundation, Daasgift Quality Foundation, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition and Mercy Foundation International.
Five Municipal and District Assemblies in the Western Region signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the LOGODEP for support in improving their internally generated revenues.
The assemblies were Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly and the Prestea-Huni Valley, Sefwi Wiawso, Shama and Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai District Assemblies.
Ms Emelia Arthur, Deputy Western Regional Minister, advised the grantees to use funds allocated to them for its intended purposes and that the grants were not for the self-enrichment of the management of the CBOs who are supposed to be honest and transparent in their operations.
Ms Arthur said CSOs and the assemblies should be partners in development instead of each pursuing its own development agenda.
Mr Peter Fricker, Head of LOGODEP, said the CBOs would be working within the 17 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the region to increase citizen participation in local governance and improve service delivery in the education and health sectors.
He said this is in line with the objective of ensuring “Strengthened democratic and decentralized governance through civic involvement”.
Mr Fricker said some 79 grant applications were received and reviewed before the applications of the first batch were approved.
He said each of the five targeted municipality and districts would receive around 40,000 dollars worth of equipment for the Town and Country Planning Departments.
Mr Fricker said the equipment would be used to link spatial planning with the generation of more income at the district level.
This includes aerial photo maps to improve district records of property ownership and the location of businesses, he said.
Mr Fricker said the LOGODEP is also financing the purchase of street signage equipment at the cost of GH¢500,000 for the five municipal and districts.
Source: GNA