The European Union (EU) yesterday handed over assorted equipment to government agencies under the Ghana Employment and Social Protection (GESP) programme.
The items, estimatedat 1.9 million euros, included 15 Toyota Hilux vehicles, 98 motorcycles, office and conference desks, tables and chairs as well as Information Technology (IT) equipment.
Beneficiary institutions included the Social Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection,Office of the Head ofLocal Government Service (OHLGS) and some selected regional and district offices under the OHLGS, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, the Labour Department and selected District Labour Offices.
Others were the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Centcr for Social Policy of the University of Ghana, the School of Social Work (SSW) and the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS).
The GESP is a three-year programme (2018-2020)being funded by the EU to promote inclusive and equitable growth in Ghana by strengthening social protection and employment systems.
Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Ghana, ZoltanAgai, in a remark, said the support from the EU formed part of its commitment towards improving service delivery for vulnerable groups in the country.
He said in a bid to improve employment policy managementand support business development and financial strenghth of such people, the GESP, since its inception, had contributed to improving technical and vocational education as well as training opportunities for the informal sector.
“Our support is anchored on ensuring effective service delivery. In view of this, we have ensured that the items are also delivered to decentralised levels, selected beneficiary District Assemblies, Labour Departments and Public Employment Centres,” he noted.
MrAgai submitted that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had reinforced the need for effective support systems for vulnerable groups and the GESP was well-designed to provide such assistance.
The EU Delegation Head urged beneficiary institutions to put the items to good use to improve on their service delivery to Ghanaians.
Mr Ebenezer Nortey, the Head of the National Authorisation Office (NAO) of the Ministry of Finance, expressed gratitude to the EU for its consistent support to Ghana in diverse ways to support the development agenda.
He said the roll-out of the GESP, with a total budget of 26 million Euros, had been of immense benefit in complementing government’sefforts in bridging the poverty gap in the country.
The programme, he added, had sought to “enhance social protection services,notably for vulnerable groups, and to generate decent employment opportunities with particular attention to the youth.”
Mr Norteywas of the belief that the items received by the various institutions would facilitate their respective roles under the GESP and go a long way to support them in the performance of their mandates.
“We expect that the equipment be made available to the relevant staff who will take very good care of them and put to good use in order to achieve the intended purpose,” he said.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
