$1m per constituency project will develop deprived communities – Veep
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia says the $1 million per constituency flagship policy would develop deprived communities in the country to engender inclusive development.
Addressing heads of African Mission and Caribbean Diplomatic Community in Havana, Cuba, at a breakfast meeting on Friday, Dr Bawumia highlighted some successes chalked by the Akufo-Addo’s Government.
He said the bottom-up approach adopted by government has ensured inclusive and non-elitist development across the country so that no one is left behind.
“For us as government, we are very much concerned about the poor and rural communities. Many a time, development goals pursued by governments have been elitist. They focused on building the huge hospitals, theatres, museums, among others, in the cities to the neglect of the basic needs of the rural folks.
“This is not inclusive enough. If we want to impact lives as governments then we must prioritize the needs of the rural communities who have remained excluded from many past programmes of governments.
“That is why we have designed and implemented the one million-dollar per constituency policy to cater for the basic needs of the poor like toilets, drainage systems, dams for all-year round farming, community water projects, footbridges, community town centres, reshaping roads, renovation of schools, provision of desks to schools, and many others, ”Vice President Bawumia explained.
The $1 million per constituency is a policy being implemented by government under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).
Under the IPEP, each of the 275 constituencies is allocated the equivalence of $1 million annually to be invested in infrastructure development initiatives of their choice, managed and implemented by the three development authorities-Northern Development Authority, Middle Belt Development Authority and the Coastal Development Authority.
The programme is placed under the Office of the President and supervised by the Minister responsible for Special Development Initiatives.
The infrastructure projects to be implemented will support and complement other government infrastructure projects.
There has been budgetary allocation for every constituency in the country since 2017, However, due to the preparations made towards the establishment of the three development authorities, the $1 million per constituency has been temporarily administered through the minister for Special Development Initiatives.
The three development authorities have since been established by an Act of Parliament, and is fully operational.
Therefore, government has issued commencement letters to cover the full amount of cedi equivalence of $1 million to all the three Development Authorities to commence implementation of constituency specific infrastructure needs.
Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister Finance, this month, issued the letters of commencement to the three Development Authorities to commence full implementation of the $1 million per constituency pledge under the IPEP.
The commencement certificate makes available GH¢1,664 million (equivalent $320 million) for the 275 constituencies across the country.
This covers $275 million for the 275 constituencies and $45 million for outstanding commitments.
Source: GNA