It is obvious to say that the Community-Driven Development Project (CDDP) is indeed doing well in the country.
The project is pumping millions of Dalasis into different projects in the country, be it agricultural projects, income-generating activities, animal husbandry, fishing, training on governance, managerial and entrepreneur skills development and many more.
One unique thing about this project is that the communities are the ones who choose, design and manage their own projects.
One can simply conclude that, when well-managed, these projects can definitely reduce poverty in the country. Our commendation goes to the CDDP officials and their donors for a well-calculated project.
We, however, urge the CDDP to consider reaching out to more communities in their efforts to reduce poverty.
To the beneficiaries, we challenge you to make the best use of the resources given to you by the CDDP. These huge resources must not be wasted.
We are very much concerned about the sustainability aspect of the projects. This is also a challenge for the communities to properly manage their projects in accordance with the project agreement.
Accountability and transparency is a cornerstone for the effective implementation of the projects. Proper record keeping will also help towards successful project implementation.
We also urge the officials to do a constant monitoring and evaluation of the projects to ensure that the projects are well-managed, as such regular visits will also deter unscrupulous elements from diverting projects funds for their individual gains.
Since the projects are chosen by the people themselves, we do hope that they will take ownership of the projects.
Projects like CDDP can equally reduce the rate of rural-urban migration, in areas where new projects are now available in the provinces.