West Madina Development Foundation (WEMADEF) on Saturday inaugurated members and Board of trustees to steer the affairs of the foundation. Inaugurating the Board, Imam of Zongo, Shaikh Mallam Salman said the foundation was expecting to see a good board and trustees to run on sound management principles for the betterment of the Community. The inaugurated members were encouraged to give the needed respect to themselves and effectively implement their vision in peace and harmony thereby creating a positive image for the foundation.
According to Mr. Musah Dankwa Bello President of the foundation, the World Bank report in 2015 revealed that Ghana’s urban population in the last three decades, has more than tripled, rising from 4 million to nearly 14 million people, and outpacing rural population growth. This growth he said had a profound impact on the town, West Madina, where critical infrastructure hardly existed and have been overstretched beyond the imagination without meaningful interventions. Adding that educational infrastructure has been crumbling, lack of healthcare facility to meet the needs of the community as well as an increase in youth unemployment and delinquency is on the rise. These challenges he said cannot be left entirely in the hands of the government to address adding that it requires a new approach that involves the community taking a keen interest in the planning and development of the city.
The West Madina Development Foundation (WEMADEF) was set up to promote common initiatives as a vibrant development model to address the economic and social needs of our community” he noted. Its vision according to him is to foster a united, productive, and empowerment of the people of West Madina to be a major pillar in the economic and social development of the town. The foundation he revealed was incorporated in August 2020 comprised of residents both in Ghana and diaspora. The foundation is expected to support the people of West Madina, the chiefs, religious leaders, opinion leaders, and the youth in identifying their developmental needs within the existing local government development framework. The foundation is also expected to take a leading role in setting the development agenda for the city and to develop a strategic plan which will spell out the vision for the city dubbed “Vision 2040”. According to him, the vision is expected to create a pathway for changing how Zongos are perceived in Ghana and serve as a blueprint for not only developing other Zongos but any city around the world.
The Member of Parliament for Madina Hon. Abubakar Sidiq Boniface urged members of the foundation to work in the interest of the people and desist from politics. Adding that though he is a politician, he will not advise them to affiliate with any political party, this he said will help them sustain the foundation for the future generation and generation yet unborn. Zongo has lots of people with potentials that may change the face of the community through such initiatives as the WEMADEF and call on the members to work hard to attract other Zango communities to emulate their courageous move.
Source: www.wadataonline.com/Muhammed Faisal Mustapha
