This is to improve livelihoods for sustainable poverty reduction and to provide access to basic infrastructure and socio-economic services, among others.

The Internal Rural Development Project Phase One, which lasted from 2013 to 2019, served 132 communities in 21 districts across the then 10 regions of Ghana.

Subsequently, the government signed a 5-year agreement with the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) in September 2022 to implement Phase Two of the project. As a result, the Internal Rural Development Project Phase Two (IRDP II) became effective in November 2022.

This project is being financed by the government of Ghana and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) at a total cost of US$24 million. It is expected to run from November 2022 to October 2027.

In this regard, the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, at the launch of the IRDP Phase Two, OFID Component on Wednesday in Accra, revealed that 23 MDAs within 16 regions in the country will benefit from this initiative to facilitate job creation, enhance access to socio-economic infrastructure, and so on.

Speaking to the media at the ceremony, the sector minister, Dan Botwe, emphasized the role of district assembly members in the accountability of projects.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Social Investment Fund (SIF), Justice Mensah Amankwa, expressed his commitment to working in partnership with the government and relevant stakeholders.