Jumapo (E/R), Nov 22, GNA - Mr Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Monday inaugurated a three-unit two bedroom teachers' quarters at Jumapo under the Urban Poverty Reduction Programme of the Social Investment Fund (SIF).

The GHC 130, 000 facility was funded by the SIF with support from the New Juaben Municipal Assembly to address the accommodation problems of teachers posted to the area and to improve teaching and learning. He said the government was aware of the disparity between urban and rural settlements and was bent on bridging the gap through the provision of projects that would impact on the socio-economic development of those areas. Mr Yieleh-Chireh said under the urban poverty reduction project an estimated 85,000 dollars would "flow to the SIF" to undertake rationalized projects for the benefit of poverty reduction and economic well-being of beneficiary communities.

Mr Yieleh-Chireh was accompanied by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Alex Asamoah, Board chairman of SIF, Dr Quartey Papafio and executive members of the SIF.

They also inspected six on-going projects being funded by the SIF in the New Juaben Municipality and expressed satisfaction at the choice of projects.

Some of the projects include construction of six-unit classroom blocks with library and offices at Adweso, Ada-Kyeremanteng and Asokore SDA Primary School and construction of early childhood center at Trom. The rest are an ICT center for Roman Catholic Schools Complex at Srodae and two-unit nurses quarters for the Municipal Polyclinic, construction of kitchen and dining hall for the Schools Feeding Programme at Jumapo. The MCE said the SIF in partnership with the assembly was undertaking 21 approved projects in the municipality mostly in the areas of education and health. Mr Akuffo Henaku, the zonal coordinator for SIF, said the projects were selected in consultation with the people in the area adding that the contract terms insisted that the contractor employed about 80 percent of labour from the community in which the project was being sited. The chief of Jumapo, Nana Acheampong Owusu, said the provision of the teachers' quarters would improve education delivery in the area. 22 Nov 10