A Portion Of World Bank’s USD 570 Mn Economic Pump For Ghana Will Enable Accra Become The Cleanest City In Africa
The World Bank has committed USD 570 Mn to, in part, help Ghana make Accra Africa’s cleanest city. USD 557 Mn of the fund is in credits while the remaining USD 13 Mn is in grants.
One of the projects that will be financed include the Greater Accra and Integrated Development (GARID) initiative. This is a USD 200 Mn multi-sector and transformative urban project tailored to bolster the city to become safer, more resilient and cleaner.
It is one of the promises of Akufo-Addo’s administration to make Accra the tidiest place on the continent. Logically, the ambition is to overtake Kigali and Cape Town, Africa’s cleanest urbanities as of present.
It was in in April 2017 that the president promised to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa by the end of his tenure in office. The ambitious pledge came in the face of worsening sanitation crisis in the nation’s capital, Accra, with city authorities struggling to deal with the situation.
Nevertheless, there have been reservations from the past that the goal will remain a pipe dream. These beliefs are valid on the grounds that the present regime is about to come to an end, and the title is yet to be sat on.
Ghana’s general elections will be held towards the end of 2020, so it’s fair to say the financial aid could not have come at a better time. USD 150 Mn of the money will go into the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes project. The initiative is aimed at improving education in low-performing basic schools.
Not of of the fund is going into sweeping the streets of Accra. Another USD 200 Mn Ghana Economic Transformation Project will be financed. It is expected to promote private investment and firm growth in non-resource-based sectors of the country’s economy.
The fourth project being additional financing for the Ghana Forest Investment Programme – Enhancing Natural Forest and Agroforest Landscapes Project, comes with a USD 12.4 Mn grant.
This week, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, inaugurated a Special Task Force On Environmental Sanitation to work with the Ministry in attaining President Akufo-Addo’s vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa.
Featured Image: Agromoneta-Ghana
