SOCO project: A model for inclusive development and regional stability
In November 2022, the then Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, launched Ghana’s component of the Gulf of Guinea Social Cohesion project, also known as the SOCO project.
The $150 million initiative formed part of a multi-country development project for Benin, Ivory Coast, and Togo, with overall funding of $450 million from the World Bank.
The primary objective of the project was to prevent conflict overflow from the Sahel region, which had gained notoriety for violent extremism, displacements, and climate-induced vulnerabilities.
Additionally, the project was expected to improve socio-economic growth and build climate-resilient communities across the beneficiary districts.
In the face of mounting insecurity across the Sahel, the launch of the SOCO Project was not only timely but very vital for the stability and peace of the country.
In all, 48 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the five Northern and Oti regions were to benefit from the project, whose design reflected a comprehensive appreciation of the underlying factors that serve as catalysts for instability in the sub-region.
Generally, economic deprivation, lack of basic infrastructure, weak institutions, and climate shocks have been identified as key factors in promoting insecurity and instability.
By focusing on socio-economic development, climate resilience, and institutional strengthening, SOCO is positioned as both a development and security intervention—especially given the fact that the country’s northern communities share cultural and geographic ties with Sahelian populations.
Significantly, the scope of the project includes the provision of water systems, construction of schools and health facilities, markets, and earth dams.
It is important to emphasise that such investments are not only meant to bridge infrastructure gaps, but also to provide livelihoods and instil a sense of trust and inclusion among local populations.
The employment of 434 community facilitators and specialists underscores its immediate economic impact.
The SOCO Project also offers an opportunity for Ghana to lead in regional security diplomacy. By sharing best practices and coordinating effectively with its neighbours, Ghana can help build a united front against the shared threats that undermine development and cohesion in West Africa.
In a time when extremism feeds on marginalisation, poverty, and weakened state presence, projects like SOCO serve as a development firewall.
Three years into the implementation of the initiative, we at The Ghanaian Times are excited at the level of progress made so far, especially in the provision of social services and infrastructure development.
It is even more refreshing that, in the spirit of continuity, and within the framework of the Directive Principle of State Policy, the government of President John Dramani Mahama did not only inherit the project, but has continued with its implementation.
Unlike a number of such initiatives in the past which ended up becoming white elephants, the SOCO project has lived up to its objective. It is therefore not surprising that the World Bank, which is providing the funding, has expressed strong satisfaction with the level of implementation so far.
A recent visit by the Director for Global Social Sustainability and Inclusion at the bank, Gues-Robin Mearns, saw him commending the progress of work in the selected beneficiary communities.
Mr Mearns, who was in the Northern Region on an official working visit, noted that the project has exceeded expectations in supporting livelihoods, job creation, and youth engagement— key components in addressing socio-economic drivers of instability.
We believe that beyond the project working towards the attainment of its objective, it is refreshing that the agency providing the funding is satisfied with the tangible manner in which the funds have been put to use.
What is particularly impressive is the clear sense of community ownership—people seeing the project as their own, which is vital to its sustainability.
For us at The Ghanaian Times, it is refreshing to learn that the community sees the project as their own in the light of the fact that in our country, the top-down approach to implementation of projects often alienates the intended beneficiaries.
Underscoring the importance of community-led development is not only critical to the SOCO project but offers an important learning experience for other projects.
We believe that going into the future, the lessons learned from the implementation of the SOCO project will inform the best approach needed for the successful implementation of projects and deal with the numerous white elephants across the country.
