Government To Release $1 Million Per Constituency This Year

The Minister of Special Development Initiatives, Ms Mavis Hawa Koomson, has said each of the 275 constituencies will receive $1 million this year for development purposes.

She told Parliament on Tuesday that the government had already started some projects in terms of the provision of water and toilet facilities in some constituencies under the One-constituency, $1-million policy.

“Let me take this opportunity to assure members of this House that the cedi equivalent of $1 million per constituency annually has been provided for in the 2018 budget,” she said.

Ms Koomson said the money would be duly used to finance the needed basic socioeconomic infrastructure in the constituencies “to better the quality of life and improve the living conditions of the populace”.

She was in Parliament to answer a question posed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mion, Mr Mohammed Abdul-Aziz, on when the government would release the cedi equivalent of $1 million to each constituency, as captured in the 2017 budget statement.

The $1 million per constituency was one of the campaign promises of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

2017 budget

Ms Koomson said GH¢1.045 billion was allocated in the 2017 budget for capital projects under the policy.

She said due to the absence of the development authorities to implement the projects, the money was not released to the constituencies last year.

She said because the budget was not part of the statutory funds, the allocation technically expired with the budget in December 2017.

Inauguration of boards

Ms Koomson said with the passage of the acts of Parliament establishing the Coastal, the Middle Belt and the Northern Development authorities, there would not be any difficulty with the release of the funds.

She said it was the development authorities which would drive the implementation of the projects in the constituencies.

She said the development needs of the various constituencies had been assessed and indicated that the projects would be based on the needs of the people.

Ms Koomson mentioned the construction of 1,000 limited community mechanised water systems with solar pumps and 1,000 10-seater community institutional water closet bio-digester toilets with mechanised boreholes in all the 275 constituencies as some of the ongoing projects.

She again mentioned the construction of 570 small dams and dug outs in the three regions of the north.

By: Graphic.com.gh