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The Ellembelle District Assembly has engaged major stakeholders in the district at a workshop to sensitize them on Gender-Responsive Tracking of Minerals Development Fund (MDF) projects in the area.
The two-day workshop, in collaboration with Friends of the Nation (FoN), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) under the “Fair 4 All’’ Agriculture and Extractive Value Chains project, is the fifth to be held in the Ellembelle District.
It touches on the importance of monitoring by stakeholders to ensure judicious use of resources and maintain good standards of projects in the communities. The Fair 4 All Agriculture and Extractive Value Chains project is the brainchild of OXFAM International, being implemented by Friends of the Nation in the Western Region. Mr. George Edusei Gyebi, an Assistant Development Planning Officer at the Assembly, said
the MDF Act 2016 (912) provides financial resources for direct benefits of mining communities, institutions responsible for the development of the mining sector, traditional and local government authorities. From 2020 to 2024, the total budgeted and actual Minerals Development Fund allocation to Ellembelle was GHc4,550,000.00 and GHc1,971,104.00, respectively. Mr. Gyebi stressed the need for the Assembly to ensure participatory processes in stages of project planning and implementation.
He outlined completed and on-going MDF projects in the mining and other communities such as classroom blocks, water closet toilet facilities, mechanized boreholes, and oil palm seedlings to farmers among other things. Mr. Gyebi said there were challenges facing the effective implementation of projects emanating from delay in release of funds, inadequate funds and political interference.
Mr. William Augustine-Denkyi, a Project Officer at FoN, in his opening remarks, said democracy was rooted in accountability, hence the need to ensure proper accountability of MDF projects to benefit men, women, disabled and other interest groups in society. Mr. Muhammed Alhassan, Coordinating Director at the Ellembelle District Assembly, in a speech read for him, said the Assembly was ready to partner Friends of the Nation to implement the project to benefit the communities.
The Chief of Ambainu, Nana Nyameke Fofole, appealed to the Assembly and FoN to embark upon proper needs assessment and prioritize projects in the communities. He appealed to the Assembly to complete all MDF- stalled projects to speed up development. The workshop was attended by chiefs, queen mothers, assembly members, engineers and staff of the Assembly, officials from FoN, the Ghana Education Service, women groups and the media.
Source: GNA
