The Inner City and Zongo Minister-designate has promised to fast-track the development of Zongo communities to enhance the livelihood of residents. Abubakar Boniface Siddique said he would bridge the yawning gap in the areas of infrastructure and social development, security, sanitation and economic empowerment.
He explained the reason some areas in the country are labelled residential areas is because government has provided them with security and good drainage system, vowing to replicate same in Zongo areas.
The Member of Parliament (MP) Madina constituency believes when these are done within the four-year term of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), people’s perception about Zongo communities would change.
The former Employment Minister made these remarks when he appeared before Parliament’s Appointments Committee Wednesday to answer questions relating to his ministry.
Ghana can boast of over 400 Zongo communities which are dominated predominantly by Muslims who hail from the three regions of the North – Northern Region, Upper West, and Upper East.
These areas are challenged in the areas of sanitation, economic and social development and security. Governments have promised to transform the lives of residents, but the challenges are still glaring.
Dissatisfied with previous government attempts to improve lives in these communities, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo promised during his 2016 campaign to create a Zongo Development Fund to bridge the infrastructure gap.
A month after he was sworn in as Ghana’s fifth leader, the President has set up the Inner City and Zongo Development Ministry to carry out his vision.
Mr Boniface who has been put in charge to spearhead the project said he would ensure that the Zongo Development Fund achieves the purpose for which it was set up.
“…the Fund will target business development,” he said, adding more young men and women in Zongo communities would be set up in business.
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