US government gives $1.7m grant to Ghana

The United States has since 1990 provided more than $ 1.7 million grant support to Ghana for development.
    
Last year alone, it disbursed $55,000 to seven organisations and local communities to undertake various community-based projects.
    
Ms Margaret Langer, a Senior Official at the US Embassy in Accra, who disclosed this on Tuesday, said the grant was under the “US Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Programme” being implemented in the country.
    
She made this known when she addressed then chiefs and people of Nweneso, a farming community in the Asutifi North District of the Brong-Ahafo Region at a durbar to inaugurate a borehole the Embassy constructed for the people.
     
Estimated at the cost of $6,500, the water project would serve the people of Tawiah-krom, Forest-Ano, Trome and Nweneso.
    
Construction work of the project was facilitated by the Firm Foundation and Environment – Ghana, a Kenyasi-based local non-governmental organisation, with support from the beneficiary communities.
    
Ms Langer explained that the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Programme was inspired by a philosophy of community-level assistance.
    
She explained that “it’s a way for us to respond to requests for assistance for small community projects that promise to have immediate impact”.
    
She indicated that a number of projects had been undertaken under the Programme in Africa, which included sustainable projects initiated by local communities and NGOs.
    
Mr Joseph Benghazi Dahah, the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, thanked the US Embassy for the support and advised the beneficiary communities to take good care of the facility.
    
He appealed to the Embassy to assist towards the construction of a junior high school in the area.
    
Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Foundation observed that water was an essential commodity, hence the need for every citizen to easily access quality and potable drinking water.
    
He expressed regret that most countries in the developing world could not meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on access to water and improved sanitation facilities by the end of 2015.
    
Instead of the targeted 54 per cent coverage under the MDGs, most of in Africa could only increase access by about 14 per cent coverage leaving millions of people without access to good drinking water and improved sanitation facilities, Mr Ahenu noted.
    
Mr Thomas Kwasi Osei, a representative of the beneficiary communities, also thanked the Embassy for the support saying the project had come as “a big relief to us”.
    
“We have already set up a committee to over-see the daily usage and maintenance of the facility and make the best out of it,” he added.

Source: GNA