MCA PROJECTS MUST IMPACT ON PEOPLE (OCT 26)

FUNDS from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) of the United States of America (USA) is helping to re-shape the destiny of rural communities in some selected communities in the country.
The MCA compact, which was signed on August 1, 2006 between Ghana and the USA and formally ratified on February 7, 2007, is to help promote agricultural production, the rehabilitation and construction of schools and roads and the networking of rural and community banks in the country.
Basically, the compact was designed by Ghana, with full support from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, to provide practical intervention to stimulate the economy of farming communities and move farming from subsistence to commercial agriculture with in-built value chain supplies such as cold stores, transportation and credit facilities to create jobs and wealth in order to reduce poverty.
Some of these projects are already impacting positively on enrolment in schools as support from the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has transformed some schools into conducive centres of teaching and learning.
The worrying development, however, is that some of the contractors engaged on the projects are not putting in their best.
Addressing contractors in Tamale recently, the Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, Mr Martin Esson-Benjamin, urged those executing projects under the MCA compact programme to complete them within the stipulated time, since the compact expires after its mandatory term.
The Daily Graphic considers the advice from the Chief Executive of MiDA very timely, especially at a time when more contractors are bidding to undertake projects under the programme.
It behoves us as a people to police the execution of the projects so that the peoples of Ghana and the USA will have value for money.
The Daily Graphic reminds the people to always demand quality performance from officials engaged on public-funded projects to ensure that the support from the donors will not go down the drain.
We are happy that part of the funding from the MCA is being used to construct the 75.21-kilometre Agogo-Dome trunk road to give a major push to the government’s road expansion project.
The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, cutting the sod for work to begin on the project, said the road would provide a reliable link between food producing areas and commercial centres in the southern sector.
Indeed, those who are familiar with the conditions under which many farmers cultivate the land in our rural areas will encourage the government to do everything within its power to execute all the projects earmarked for the beneficiary district.
The Daily Graphic believes that if the projects under the MCA programme are properly executed, they can help to transform the lives of the people.
However, to achieve the desired impact, all the stakeholders must expedite action on whatever assignments they have been given, so that part of the money is not returned to the USA because Ghana could not meet the expectations of the donors.
The people in charge of the project are competent professionals who cannot let the nation down. Slowly, but steadily, these professionals can guide the process to accomplish all the projects under the compact.
For it will be a tragedy if the money is not used for the intended purpose to transform lives for the better.