Assembly urged to generate more revenue

Mr Cletus Avoka, Member of Parliament (MP) for Zebila Constituency, Upper East Region, has urged members of the Bawku West District Assembly to meet regularly within the year so as to generate enough revenue for the assembly’s projects.

This, he said, would also form the basis of several criteria that would enable the assembly to access finances from the District Development Fund (DDF) and funds from other donor partners for the execution of projects.

Mr Avoka, also a former Majority Leader in Parliament, threw the challenge in an address at the first ordinary meeting of the ninth session of the Bawku West District Assembly, a statement issued and signed by Mr Peter Atogewe Wedam, Acting Regional Public Relations Officer of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) said.

Mr Avoka said the unfortunate fire outbreaks the country experienced over the past few months coupled with the energy crisis hindered government’s development efforts and programmes.

“In addition to this was the Supreme Court hearing of the 2012 election petition which caused especially many foreign investors to hold back their capital owing to the then uncertainties as to the fate of Ghana after the verdict,” he said.

Mr Avoka said, notwithstanding, the John Dramani Mahama administration did all it could under the circumstances to put Ghana at her present level of development and called on all, especially those in decision making positions such as assembly members, to assist government’s development agenda now that the election petition was over.

He appealed to Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru, Upper East Regional Minister, to ensure that the Bolgatanga-Bawku road and roads in the Zebila Township were tarred.

Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru said the time had come for assembly members to assist management of the district assembly to find new ways of generating revenue instead of over-reliance on the District Assembly Fund which often delayed in coming.

He disclosed that government was waiting for the release of about 20 million US Dollars from the African Development Bank to be used to finance the Bolgatanga-Bawku road to ensure its early completion.

Mr Moses Adugpam, Presiding Member of the Assembly, called on the District Police Command to take immediate steps to regulate trading activities and vehicular parking on the roads to prevent any mishap.

Source: GNA