By Madali Chibambu & Tebogo Tladi

25/01/2012

Our Department’s Head of Department for Social Development Ms. Shoki Tshabalala hosted eight delegates from Ghana’s Social Investment Fund (SIF) on Tuesday, 24 January 2012.

A part of the two countries’ institutional, community development and capacity building programme, the purpose of the visit was to enable our Ghanaian counterparts to learn new strategies, share experiences and knowledge.  Also, to document good practices in the implementation of social development projects in South Africa and Ghana.

Parallel to SIF’s drive which prioritises establishing working partnerships for sustainable community based development, a comprehensive forum was held between the two departments with emphasis on the following objectives:

-      Facilitating access by the poor to basic economic and social infrastructure and services to their availability and operation;

-      Enhancing the access of the poor to financial services by increasing the availability of micro-finance, medium terms loans and the capacity of indigenous financial institutions; and

-      Strengthening the capacity of community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, indigenous micro-finance institutions and local government administrators in support of the overall goal of poverty reduction.

In true essence of exchanging knowledge with our neighbours, Gauteng Health and Social Development HoD for Social Development Ms. Shoki Tshabalala briefed in-detail the delegates on the department’s 2012/13 key areas which included:

-      Expanding the Job Creation Strategy to include Social Community Employment Programme through NGO partnership;

-      Strengthening the Capacity Cooperatives to provide efficient services;

-      To Create and Market the services of Cooperatives to sister departments for greater market accessibility for Coops;

Ghanaian Ambassador Joseph Cleland says the delegation commended the programmes presented.

“More than anything, we were here to learn from our fellow brothers and sisters.  It goes without saying that South African programmes are more advanced compared to many other African states,” stated Cleland.

 “The knowledge acquired on this trip is indeed fundamental.  We have learned extensively and will be taking what we have learned to our people back home, in Ghana,” he said.