Regional News of Wednesday, 25 July 2018

Source: Kudjoe Mensah

Zongo Ministry to rally NGOs for development of Zongo communities

Abubakar Saddique Boniface and some officials of the Ministry with the Qatar Charity delegation Abubakar Saddique Boniface and some officials of the Ministry with the Qatar Charity delegation

The Ministry of Inner-City and Zongo Development (MICZD) has pledged to rally all Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operating within and outside for the development of Zongo communities across the country.

The Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface told the press when he interacted with the officials of the Qatar Charity at his office in Accra.

According to the Minister, the Ministry intends to have a session with these NGOs which operate in the Zongo communities.

We will have a session with the NGOs assisting in uplifting the image of the Zongo communities in the country as part of the mandate of the Ministry he told the delegation.

In his statement, he told the three-man Qatar Charity delegation led by Isseddin Daitallah; a Director, Dr. Mohammed Hafiz Amadu, Social Welfare Manager and Mahdi Adam Osman, Programmes Manager.

He said there is the need for collaboration for non-partisan groups already in the Zongo communities to ensure coordinated efforts in addressing the Zongo menace.

The Minister was clear in his mind that the decision to rally the Islamic NGOs for the development of the Zongo communities was an excellent one and the Ministry will not relent in ensuring partnership in that area.

“We are ready to fall on these NGOs that are sympathetic to the course of the Ministry in executing the four thematic areas of the Ministry,” he stated.

He added that Ghana is not a full Islamic state where ‘Zakat’ can be used for the development of the vulnerable areas in the society but the only way that this can be done was to look for partnerships to put smiles on the faces of these vulnerable people in the Zongo communities.

On his part; the director of the Qatar Charity, Isseddin Daitallah said the organization is willing to partner the Ministry in the areas of education, sanitation among others to save the lives of the vulnerable in the Zongo communities across the country.

He indicated his organizations’ readiness to partner the Ministry in the provision of community water systems for twenty zongo communities, adding that “My team has agreed to partner with your Ministry to make the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s dream of seeing developments in the Zongo communities a reality.”

The Ministry’s end was a high-powered representation led by the Chief Director of Ministry, Gifty Mahama, Cletus Anarfo, Director of Finance and Administration, Amina Sammo, Director of Projects and Programmes and Dr. Joseph Darmoe, Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management.