Sustainability of donor funded projects in Volta region under test

Two landmark donor funded projects in the Volta region, the USAID funded Government Accountability Improve Trust (GAIT II- 2004-2007), and the German Funded Forest Protection and Resource Use Management Project (FORUM-1993-2008) have ended, sparking debates about their sustainability.

GAIT II focused on supporting democratic local government and decentralization, strengthening civil society and increasing community advocacy for quality education.

Mr Robert Hellyer, USAID/Ghana Mission Director GAIT II Programme, addressing a ceremony to handover the project to the Ho Municipal Assembly last Wednesday, said the challenge now was to sustain the gains achieved.

"The true success of GAIT II will be measured by whether the high level of local government-citizen interaction that began under it will continue after the project ends".

Answering questions regarding the sustenance of the gains of GAIT II, Mrs Evelyn Arthur, Chief of Party, in charge of the project, emphasized the need for continued support to Civic Unions to able them to engage the Municipal Assembly for accountability.

She said the Ho Municipal Assembly had much to show for the successes of GAIT II.

Mrs Arthur said the project only sowed the seeds for effective people’s participation in local government and that it was up to all stakeholders to nurture the gains and build on them for possible replication in other parts of the region and the country.

She called for effective use of the trained internal resource persons at both the Community and the Municipal Assembly levels towards the sustenance and replication of the project