Focus on your Internally Generated Funds for development – MMDAs urged
Mr Joseph Stephen Nyarni, the Ga South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to place emphasis on Internally Generated Funds (IGF) for their development needs.
He said this is more important than depending on the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
Mr Nyarni said this at Ngleshie Amanfro near Accra during an interview with the Ghana News Agency.
The assembly, Mr Nyarni said, just after nine months of its inauguration, has constructed a 50-bed capacity female ward for the Amanfro Poly Clinic, bought two brand new Toyota Hilux pick-up vehicles for it revenue generation, constructed four classroom blocks in addition to three CHPS compounds, all from its IGF.
He said the assembly would hopefully relocate to its new assembly block by April 2019 in order to avoid paying another rent at its current temporary administrative block.
Mr Nyarni said the assembly has also been able to supply 7,000 dual desks to schools in the municipality out of a deficit of 23,000, thereby alleviating the plight of some school children who hitherto had to sit on the floor to study- this also came from the IGF.
The shift system for school children in the municipality, he said, would be a thing of the past next year since the assembly would embark upon a massive infrastructure development.
Out of a projected GH¢3.5 million for its IGF, the assembly he said, was able to collect GH¢2.98 million between April and November this year.
GH¢5.8 million, Mr Nyarni said, has been targeted for 2019 and GH¢23 million projected for the year 2020.
All these projections Mr Nyarni said were based on scientific valuation of properties in the municipality which has not been done for the past 18 years.
He expressed the hope that taxes on properties and other sources would assist the assembly to realize its set targets.
The MCE said his meetings with the landlord associations on weekends have yielded positive results and created awareness on the need to pay taxes on their properties.
A major challenge confronting the assembly, Mr Nyarni said, was the poor road network in the municipality.
Out of the 1,170 kilometre of roads in the municipality, the MCE said, only about 12 per cent has been paved or surfaced.
For this reason, he said, a massive road network development would be undertaken in 2019.
Mr Nyarni said he was running an open administration and has involved major stakeholders like traditional authorities, assembly members from the 19 electoral areas, landlords association and the other opinion leaders.
Mr Nyarni said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government under President Nana Akufo-Addo was on course in developing the country to enhance the living standards of all Ghanaians
Source: GNA