The Secondary City Projects are sponsored by the World Bank to accelerate infrastructural development and other social services in the qualified cities.
Berekum falls under the Local window segment which will benefit from a total of US$ 90 million for the selected 19 cities. The beneficiaries will receive Urban Development Grants (UDGs) and Capacity Support Grants (CSGs). While UDGs will allow them to make investments in urban infrastructure and service delivery, CSGs will enable them to invest in institutional and capacity development initiatives aimed at enhancing their urban management performance. UDGs and CSGs will be supplementary to the Government grants under the Responsiveness Factor Grant (RFG) allocated to the participating beneficiaries.
Berekum was selected to be a beneficiary by the World Bank among 3 cities (Techiman, Sunyani) in the Brong Ahafo Region. The project was initiated in 2018 and have gone through several phases and Berekum managed to qualify under the strict qualification criteria set by the World Bank Sister cities Support Program.
The project will provide rehabilitation of the Berekum Thursday market into a Modern market and provide other amenities such as a clinic, a place of convenience, a police post and a tarred road around the market.
Earlier this year the assembly served notice to occupants of the market to make way for the project and indeed cleared the land towards the preparation to commence.
In a follow up at the assembly on why the project had not started, it was pointed out that the necessary tendering processes are going thus it will start immediately the contract is awarded
In a letter to the beneficiaries of the project by the funding agency, the support will be forfeit if works do not commence by July 1, this year, 2020.
The Berekum Municipal Assembly, however, assures that works are scheduled to begin by next week as the necessary processes are just about done.
