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Works And Housing Minister Cuts Sod For GARID Project In Okaikwei North Municipality

Works and Housing Minister, Francis Asenso-Boakye has cut sod for the take-off of the first project under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development project (GARID) at Alogboshie in the Okaikwei North Municipality.
The ceremony comes some days after GARID in conjunction with the Assembly handed over site to the contractor for the takeoff of the project.
The project aims to enhance flood risk and solid waste management, as well as basic infrastructure and services, in low-income communities that are prone to flooding in the Greater Accra Region.
According to the Minister, government has invested heavily in the National Flood Control and Priority Drainage Programmes, which seeks to address the problem of solid waste dumping into drains while maintaining existing drainage systems.
Hon. Asenso-Boakye also the Member of Parliament for Bantama Constituency in the Ashanti Region was speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony that marked the start of the first GARID in Alogboshie.
He added that similar projects would soon begin in Akweteyman and Nima, and then in the other two low-income settlements that are beneficiaries of the project.
He said that the intervention demonstrate the government’s commitment to improving the living conditions, public services, and resilience of low-income communities to flooding and other natural disasters in the Greater Accra Region.
Mr. Francis Mensah, the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD) in an address stated that the community has been ready for the upgrading project with the help of the Chief, the Assembly and all other stakeholders.
“We therefore urge the community to assist the contractor by paving way for him to complete the project on schedule. The Assembly on its part will play it role to ensure the successful cooperation of all the relevant stakeholders” he assured.
Mr. Mensah further assured the contractor of the provision of adequate security throughout the entire duration of the project.
Mr. Kwadwo Ohene Sarfoh, the Project Coordinator indicated the readiness of the Team for the take-off of the project.
He stated that as part of the upgrading interventions under the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, there are interventions including waste transfer station, capping of unengineered dump sites, improving solid waste collection across multiple communities among other things are set to be rolled out.
Mr. Ohene Sarfoh indicated that the Assemblies have been strengthened through trainings, grants for routine dredging and desilting of drains, procurement of drone to enable the Assemblies to manage land uses particularly along the buffers of water bodies to prevent encroachment.
Madhu Raghunath, the Practice Manager for Urban Resilience and Land Global Practice at the World Bank, expressed optimism about the project’s potential replication across the country, contributing to building urban resilience and improving the overall urbanization rate.
Nii Kumah, the Chief of Alogboshie was grateful to the government and all other stakeholders for the project and was hopeful to see its completion to improve the lives of the people in the community.
The launch of the first phase of the project is anticipated to significantly improve access to basic services, infrastructure and housing in the targeted communities.
The two hundred million flood mitigation intervention initiative, will focus on improving drainage systems, addressing solid waste management challenges, enhancing roads, extending streetlights, and improving water supply.
The overall goal is to achieve clean, resilient, inclusive and integrated development in the community.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

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