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Hon. Samuel Pyne, Mayor of Kumasi, has advised recipients of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ climate change project fund to use the funds purposefully.
It could be recalled that on May 22, 2024, the KMA announced its partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies for Kumasi’s participation in the “Youth Climate Action Fund.”
As part of this partnership, the KMA received $50,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies to fund innovative proposals from young residents aged 15-24 to address climate change challenges.
Finally, 14 groups, comprising zealous young residents of Kumasi, have been selected to implement the KMA and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ agenda for climate change in Kumasi.
Presenting certificates and cheques to the recipients of the Youth Climate Action Fund at the KMA’s Conference Room on August 7, 2024, Mayor Pyne assured the recipients that the KMA stood a chance to gain an additional $100,000 to $150,000 upon careful and prudent use of the fund.
It’s important to note that, the funds were disbursed among the 14 groups according to their proposals.
As chairman of the selection committee, Mayor Pyne was convinced that the 14 selected proposals out of 33 were not only workable but also impactful for today and the future of society.
He further announced that a monitoring team would visit the recipients to assess progress, indicating that microgrant payments would be made in tranches upon authorities’ satisfaction with work done from now until the end of September 2024.
He expressed delight in seeing youth involve themselves in the campaign against climate change, noting that the impact of climate change has serious repercussions for the future.
Mayor Pyne was flanked during the presentation by Hon. Patrick Kwame Frimpong, Presiding Member for KMA, and Mr. Francis Dwira-Darko, Metro Coordinating Director.
The selected groups include Agritradehub, Earth Guardians, Ghana Association of Students Planners/KNUST Sustainable Green Future Club, PlantO, and Dabethon Group.
Others are Climate Action Network, Team Sustinere, The Green Guardians of Kumasi, Akwatia Line Scrap Sellers Association, Adoato Executive Club, Center Youth and Literacy Development, and Responsibilities Initiative Ghana which produced two separate usable proposals.
Mr. Prince Anokye, a Senior Lecturer at KNUST and member of the Selection Committee, told the media that the recipients were selected in accordance with the KMA and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ guidelines for accessing the funds, and expressed confidence in the project’s success.
He advised recipients to go by the dictates of their proposals, and work hard to reduce the impact of climate change while becoming good examples in society.
Miss Priscilla Boadu, a member of the Green Guardians of Kumasi, told the media on the sidelines of the presentation event that they were poised to execute their mandate and promised to use their financial support to benefit society.
“We are committed to complementing the efforts of KMA and Bloomberg Philanthropies to address the climate change crisis in Kumasi and beyond,” she confidently stated.
