Dutch Ambassador hails ‘Ghana beyond aid’ agenda
Mr. Ron Striker, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, has applauded the nation’s drive to promote efficient management of its resources to end the over-reliance on foreign aid for development.
He said this was a right step and pledged that his country was going to stand with Ghana every step of the way.
“We are proud of the Ghana beyond aid agenda and we will support it”, he added.
Mr. Striker, who was speaking at the launch of the “Tax Revenue for Economic Enhancement” (TREE) project in Cape Coast said it tied in with their development cooperation policy of “protecting people’s rights, creating equal opportunities for everyone to stand on their own feet and to have the privilege to live successful lives”.
He added that eradicating extreme poverty, promoting sustainable and inclusive growth that benefitted the poor and the most vulnerable people had been at the heart of their development cooperation.
He gave the assurance that he would work to deepen the economic ties and strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries for their mutual benefit.
Mr. Stringer applauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo for the strong leadership he had been providing and expressed confidence about the country’s future, saying “I see light at the end of the tunnel”.
The four-year TREE project is designed to enhance revenue generation performance of the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) for sustainable development.
Its official launch brought together officials from the Finance Ministry, budget and revenue officers, financial analysts, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and chiefs from 32 selected assemblies in three regions – Ashanti, Central and Western.
Mr. Striker encouraged the assemblies to do more to increase revenue mobilization and said that was important to reduce government’s dependence on loans to carry out development projects.
Mr. Peter Jongkind, Director of the VNG International, implementing partners of the project, underlined that need for the MMDAs to prioritize internal revenue generation.
They also needed to build reliable revenue database and to up tax education to get the people to pay their rates and levies.
Source: GNA