HIPC fund managers warned

West Akim (Eastern Region) - The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has warned members of committees set up to approve monies from the Ghana Poverty Reduction Fund (GPRF) and the Social Investment Fund (SIF) not to worsen the plight of those who apply for the fund by demanding anything before processing their applications.

The minister said this at the Eastern Regional launch of the GPRP and SIF at Asukyerema, near Adeiso, in the West Akim District at the weekend during which the West Akim District Project Review and Approval Committee (DISPRAC) was also inaugurated.

He said the aim of the government is to reduce poverty by creating more jobs and providing credit facilities for people, especially those in deprived areas, to make them self-reliant economically.

He said without the development of small communities and rural areas, there can never be any meaningful development in the country, adding that both the rural and the metropolitan areas are equally being developed.

To accelerate the development of the country, Osafo-Maafo said the government will continue to maintain good ties with donor countries in order to get more funding for that purpose.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, in an address, said through the SIF, an approval has been given for eight nurses quarters and clinics all of which with cost ¢10.3bn to be built after which 48 schools will also be built.

According to him, skills training is also being offered for the vulnerable groups under the fund so that they can set themselves up and help train others. He added that loans have also been given to individuals to establish 15 income generating activities.

The Executive Director of SIF, Ms Ama Serwaa Dapaah, in her address, said the fund was set up through the concerted effort of the government, the African Development Fund (ADF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a mechanism for channelling resources to the poor under the GPRP.

She disclosed that, 80 districts are benefiting from the fund and that plans are far advanced to extend its benefits to the remaining 30 districts. She said beneficiaries are expected to contribute 10 per cent of the total cost of a sub-project while the district contributes 15 per cent to instil a sense of ownership for the project.

The West Akim District Chief Executive, Omari Amoah thanked the managers of the fund for extending its benefits to the district. He gave the assurance that he will do everything possible so that the assembly and various beneficiaries alike will contribute their quota to ensure its success in the area.