The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority Millennium Villages Project (SADA-MVP) which started operations in January 2012 has implemented a number of projects in selected communities spread across the Northern and Upper East Regions.

The areas include Mamprugu Moaduri and West Mamprusi Districts in the northern region and the Builsa South district in the Upper East Region.

This came to light when SADA MVP staff and the Regional Engineer of Feeder Roads in charge of Northern Region, Mr Ferdinad Kuubeterzie and the Media undertook an inspection tour of some ongoing and completed projects in these areas.

The team inspected the 1.4Kilometre road linking Jagsi, new Jagsi and Duu in the West Mamprusi District to enable residents there access education and health facilities in Duu.

Other projects the team inspected included spot improvement works being carried out on the Kunkua – Jadema road, Kunkua – Uwasi and Buterisa - Zamsa feeder roads.

In addition, the team inspected and took over the Community Based Health Planning Services compounds at Gbedembilisi, and Wiese which had been expanded with funding from the project.

Besides, the team inspected and took over a rehabilitated structure at the Fumbisi Health Center in the Builsa South District executed by LUBIE Construction Works at the cost of about 99,000 Ghana cedis.

The rehabilitated structure houses the OPD, consulting rooms and some wards of the facility. There was also a tour of a Medical Laboratory at the Center which was built and furnished by SADA-MVP.

At a brief ceremony held at the Fumbisi Health Center, Mr Edwin Batiir, the Community Mobilization and Institutions Coordinator of SADA-MVP stated that the project had undertaken similar activities in other communities within the project cluster.

He further explained that the overall goal of the project was to assist a specific population in the rural northern savannah belt of Ghana to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to help establish a robust local economy that could sustain and extend the progress made during the project.

“The project is therefore hinged on an integrated development model which seeks to address the challenges of rural development, focusing on targeted investments in food production, nutrition, education, health services, roads, energy, communications, water, sanitation, enterprise development, environmental management and business development”.

Mr Ernerst Ekow Mensah, Infrastructural Facilitator of SADA- MVP stated that all the contractors who had completed their work have a defective liability period of six months.

Dr Moses Nanaang, SADA-MVP Health Coordinator, entreated the beneficiaries of the projects not to only rely on his outfit for support but to reciprocate by maintaining the facilities.

The District Coordinating Director for Builsa South, Mr John Adongo, on behalf of the District Chief Executive, Madam Elizabeth Jane Afuic, lauded SADA-MVP for the construction of a Medical Laboratory for the Fumbisi health facility and the rehabilitation works carried out there and appealed to the Management of the facility to help maintain it.

He noted that already SADA-MVP was supporting the District which was new in the area of agriculture, education, agribusiness development and indicated that it would help the District to catch up with the older ones.

SADA-Millennium Villages Project (SADA MVP) is a five-year project (started in January 2012) and being implemented in 35 communities spread across the two regions.

The project is the result of collaboration between the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, Millennium Promise (MP) with funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development.

SADA-MVP is guided by a partnership between the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Millennium Promise, working closely with communities, governments, companies, multilateral organizations, and non-governmental organizations around the world.

It explicitly aims at implementing the Millennium Development Goals and supporting economic development at the local level.