The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service and the Social Welfare and Community Development Department in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan area have been supported under the Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project, (TCSPP).

The Social Welfare and Community Development Department as part of a sectional renovation of the Department has been provided with disability ramp and railings, a desktop computer and printer, painting, tiling of their conference room, replacement of broken louvre blades and ironmongery, among others.

At the DOVVSU, the Unit office accessories were rehabilitated, including tables, chairs and provided with bookshelves.

Also, wiring for a new air conditioner was undertaken and a photocopier and desktop computer provided.

The donation, according to Mr. Isaac Aidoo, the Project Coordinator was to help with effective responses to gender-based issues and also promote the interest of minority groups in society.

The Project, he noted, had a reproductive wing which thrived on advocacy and was hopeful that the equipment would help in capturing real time data for decision making and development planning purposes.

He also proposed effective collaboration between the two bodies to create awareness on issues hampering the realization of objectives set on gender related issues.

The Mayor for the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan area, Mr. Abdul Mumin Issah prayed that the logistics would enhance the operational output of the two entities.

ACP Kwame Tsidi, the Western Regional Deputy Commander of Police, said as a people centered institution, the new outlook of the office while comforting distress client would advance access to data and better job done.

He said, “we are here to give hope to struggling families, strengthen families for community and national development and obviously, such corporate support was laudable.”

At the Social Welfare, Mrs. Constance Baiden, the Metro Officer said, “I and my staff will no longer cross the road or meet these people in the forecourt because they have no access to this office.“

Mr. Jonathan Djan, the Western Regional Director of the Department, while appreciating the gesture requested that the Takoradi office was moved to the New Takoradi Library where it was much easier for persons with disabilities to access.

Madam Christiana Efua Yankson, a Government Appointee for Persons with Disabilities in the Assembly, was happy that public institutions were now becoming disability friendly.

She thanked the project donors for the great work done to alleviate the difficulty of members of that group to accessing social services.

The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and its sister city in Italy, Palermo Municipality, are collaborating to co-create an Integrated Urban Governance for Green, Sustainable and Inclusive Development of the Metropolis.

The collaboration dubbed: “Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership project”, is to strengthen the relationship that began with the city of Palermo (Italy) sometime ago.

The overall objective of the three-year project is to promote Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development in the two cities.

The Project would contribute to enhancing urban management by addressing challenges such as urban sprawl, climate change, poverty, and exclusion.