The Municipal Chief Executive of the Sagnarigu Municipality, Hajia Mariam Idrissu, has cut sod for 700m road and 800m storm drain to be constructed at Ward-K, Kalpohin area, in the Sagnarigu Municipality.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday, Hajia Mariam indicated the project is under the Ghana Secondary Cities program with funding from the World Bank.

She added that, the Ghana secondary cities program is a five-year (2019-2023) program designed by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in collaboration with the World Bank which aims; “to improve urban management and basic urban service delivery to address urban poverty and build resilient
cities.”

Key areas of implementation of the program include; Urban public investment management, Urban Planning and Service Delivery, Urban Economic Development, and
Competitiveness. Sustainable Urban System and Urban Infrastructure Delivery, according to her.

The MCE elaborated further that, the project is a US$100million project with 25 Municipal Assemblies benefitting from it nationwide and that, Sagnarigun Municipal is the only municipality in the Northern Region benefiting from it.

She also noted that, the program's financial instruments is on the performance for results bases, which all eligible municipal assemblies are to demonstrate high performance to able them access the funds every year, through annual performance assessment.

Hajia Mariam urged the winning firms and consultant to demonstrate a high sense of responsibility to deliver quality work timeously within the 9 months contract period, and ensure that value for money is achieved in other to enable the Municipality continue to benefit from the program.

She further entreated the Contractor to ensure that all the Environmental Health Social safeguards and COVID-19 protocols are observed throughout the construction period.

The two projects are going to be first of their kind in the Northern Region.

“The road is bitumen surface with street lights and trees while the storm drain is covered with footbridges,” she revealed.

According to her, the project will help to reduce the traveling time, insecurity, and the perennial floods within the Wad-K and Kalpuhin area.

The MCE lauded president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the good initiative and also thanked the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, for working tirelessly to make the program a reality.

His Royal Highness, Sulaimana Neindoo, the Chief of Kalpohini who spoke through his Messenger, thanked the MCE for bringing such a developmental project to the
municipality.

“We pray to God to extend your tenure in office to see the commissioning of this project that you have brought us.”