A one-day workshop on the Ghana Poverty Reduction Project (GPRS) and the Social Investment Fund (SIF) ended at Begoro in the Fanteakwa District on Friday.

It was organised by the Fanteakwa District Assembly and sponsored by the SIF and attended by about 100 participants drawn form the assembly, government departments, non-governmental organisations and Community Based Organisations.

The workshop was aimed at informing, educating and sensitising participants on the role of SIF in poverty reduction and to create a common platform for them to share their experiences and disseminate information on SIF to poor communities.

The District Chief Executive for Fanteakwa, Mr Ebenezer Ofoe Caesar, said the SIF was a component of the GPRP, which would assist communities to undertake socio-economic projects to improve the living standards of the people.

He said the programme was demand-driven and would benefit only communities, which were prepared to mobilise material and human resources to initiate development projects.

Mr Caesar said the assembly would assist beneficiary communities to pay 15 per cent of the contract sum and the communities themselves would pay 10 per cent towards the project.

Mr Caesar said He expressed the hope that the SIF would rekindle the dwindling self-help and communal spirit in the communities adding, "The programme would also ensure competition among the communities in undertaking development project."

The Eastern Region Officer of the SIF, Mr Justice Akuffo-Henaku, announced that about 19.7 million US Dollars would be spent on the first phase of the programme.

Mr Henaku said 63,629 people in 1,689 communities in 80 districts were benefiting from projects costing 2.7 billion cedis.

He urged the people to support CBOs since they played roles in designing and execution of projects in the communities.

The Sub-Project Officer of SIF for Fanteakwa, Mr Moses Kwame Ohene, urged the beneficiary communities to pay the 10 per cent of the contract money promptly to qualify for the projects they intend undertaking.