Zongo Devt: Needs Assessment Underway – Minister

The Inner Cities and Zongo Development Minister Alhaji Abu-Bakar Saddique Boniface has stated that the Ministry has begun needs assessment of zongo communities across the country as it readies to hit the ground running.

“We are in the process of engaging the services of experts within that area,” he told Starr News’ Parliamentary correspondent Ibrahim Alhassan in an exclusive interview.

The move, he said, aims at having all the Zongos across the country on data to ensure bespoke developmental strategy for each.

Citing a recent sod cutting for an Astroturf in Madina, Mr. Boniface said, “The point is that it is not all Zongos that would benefit from Astroturf. Madina for example might not have water problem, you go to another Zongo that has a water problem, you go to another place it is not about water…it is about clinic, and you take the clinic there. So, as we carry out our needs assessment and engaging the stakeholders it will depict their actual needs.”

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 2016 electioneering pledged to develop the Zongos and Inner cities across the country, prompting President Akufo-Addo to create the portfolio.

The government in the 2018 budget allocated GH¢150 million to the Zongo Development Fund (ZDF) to be used to fund development projects in the Zongo communities nationwide.

Source: Starrfmonline.com