Henry Kerali
The World Bank has approved a $100 million International Development Association (IDA) credit for the Ghana Secondary Cities Support programme to enhance urban management and improve basic services for residents in 25 secondary cities and the urban poor.
“Ghanaians residing in participating municipalities will have improved access to urban services, such as better roads, efficient services, and reduced flooding,” said Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana.
The Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme is part of government’s broader urban development and decentralization program.
It will help strengthen local systems and focus on municipal assemblies by providing them with incentives to improve their performance as city managers.
The programme will also assist regional and national institutions to provide municipal assemblies with the support needed for effective urban management and service delivery. Ghana is highly urbanized, and its future will depend on how efficiently and effectively its urban centers will be managed.
“The Ghana Secondary Cities Programme will support Government’s National Decentralization Action Plan to ensure the effective and efficient management of urban centres to create jobs for the youth of the cities involved,” said Meskerem Brhane, World Bank Practice Manager Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience for Africa Region.
The Ghana Secondary Cities Support project is being implemented through the World Bank’s Programme for Results Instrument.