The Global Communities, an International non-governmental organisation (NGO), has handed over the “Inclucity Project” under which residents of 59 poor communities totalling one million people would benefit from its development activities in Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi.

The objective of Inclucity, sponsored by the Bill and Belinda Gates foundation in the United States, is to assist the two metropolitan assemblies to include the urban poor in planning, governance and management.

This comes at the close of the four million dollars funding of the four years of partnership and hard work with communities, governments, private sector, which had generated tremendous results and improvements in the lives of the people.

Mr Alberto Wilde, Country Director of the Global Communities, said the facilities of Inclucity seeks to increase constructive participation of slum residents in governance, inclusive planning and budgeting processes in the two cities.

He said the programme would increase capacity of the two assemblies to generate revenue.

He said under project, the Global Communities had trained 164 community based organisations (CBOs) and built their capacities to mobilise citizens for planning and budgeting processes of the assemblies, benefiting more than 700 individuals that represent various stakeholders.

“Supported the 59 communities to prepare community development plans, from which projects have been integrated into the assemblies development plan and over 50 small grants completed with funding from Inclucity,” he said.

Mr Wilde said: “We believed we bridged the gap between the requirements and practices in planning through which we have improved upon the general living conditions of these residents in the two cities.”

Mr Solomon Tetteh, Project Manager of Nimba Community Support Services (NIMCOSS) one of the CBO’s supported by Global Communities, expressed gratitude for the Inclucity programme and urged the assemblies to maintain the facilities handed to them.

He asked the assemblies to regularly engage with the CBOs to ensure sustainability of the projects.

Mrs Lydia Sackey, Budget Director, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, reiterated the fact that the work is people centered and always present an opportunity for NGOs to partner government and expressed happiness that the projects in the communities would be maintained.