Zongo Minister Hosts Brazilian Delegation

A Brazilian delegation has called on the Minister of Inner-City and Zongo Development to discuss important issues.

The Minister Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface said his outfit would tap into the wealth of experience of the South American country on development issues.

He said the ministry is cooperating with the Brazilian Embassy in Ghana to tap into their experience to build decent homes for Zongo inhabitants.

He told the delegation that the President took the decision to establish the ministry upon assumption of power to improve the lives of inhabitants of Zongo communities.

The decision to create the ministry was contained in the manifesto of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to bridge the development gap between the Zongo communities and urban areas of the country he noted.

He said one of the cardinal areas the ministry wants cooperation in terms of its mandate is skills development, education and security, among others.

According to the minister, the ministry is willing to tap into the success achieved by Brazil in the upliftment of inner cities and deprived communities.

He stressed that the President wants to see the Zongo communities develop like other communities in the country.

Explaining further, Alhaji Boniface said the ministry was established to include the excluded, particularly the deprived communities, in the development agenda of the country.

He told the envoy that there have been various development projects and programmes in the city.

He said that Nima, which is in the heart of Accra with a population of about 100,000, has no secondary school.

He said a technical team of the ministry is working hard to use the establishment of the ministry to stop the recruitment of extremists in the country by finding job opportunities for the youth.

“We need the assistance of development partners and donor partners and countries to assist in creating opportunities for people living in Zongo communities across the country.

“We want to elevate the Zongo communities by providing small housing schemes for the people in these deprived communities in the country, he disclosed.

On her part, Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana Madam Maria Elisa De Luna, pledged to collaborate with the Ministry in areas like skills development, sports and health.

“We are willing to provide the needed technical know-how for the skills development drive of the ministry.

“In Brazil, we have a concept of skills development programme executed by the private sector and financed by the government where the youth are equipped with skills in areas of carpentry, masonry, among others.

She reiterated government's preparedness to assist the ministry to establish skills development schools and called on the ministry to furnish her outfit with all the needed information.

According to her, the embassy is ready for the piloting of the skills development schools in one of the deprived areas of the country.