To accelerate rural development, government has launched a 7-year project which aims at reducing poverty and improving access to socio-economic infrastructure.

The Minister of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, who announced the plan, revealed that there will be measures put in place to ensure an increase in accountability.

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) jointly financed the Integrated Rural Development project in 2013 and ended in 2019.

The project served 132 communities in 21 districts across the then 10 regions of Ghana with a population of about 2.3 million.

After the successful implementation of the Integrated Rural Development Project Phase One, the government signed a 5-year (2022-2027) agreement with the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) to implement Phase Two of the Project in September 2022.

Phase 2 of the Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP II) - OFID Component, is currently being implemented in 23 districts in the 16 regions of Ghana.

IRDP II has been designed to improve the living conditions of rural communities by providing access to basic infrastructure and socio-economic services including health and education, and to ensure a sustainable increase in income through the provision of micro-credit to the rural impoverished communities.

In view of this, the Minister stated in his address at the launch that the aim of the project was to create jobs, enhance uncomplicated access to socio-economic infrastructure and then also to improve the standard and conditions of living of persons in these areas.

The key institutions involved in the implementation of the Project will be the Ministry of Finance, Municipal and District Assemblies, ARB Apex Bank and subsidiaries