Composite budget will control wage bill – Minister

A Minister has appealed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCs) to weed out “ghost names” from pay rolls.

Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru, the Upper East Regional Minister who said this at a budget composite hearing attended by officials from Bawku West, Binduri and Nabdam districts, said it would help control the wage bill and save funds for development projects.

He said the government viewed the composite budgeting as a significant component in the financial assessment of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, because it gave comprehensive information about resources needed.

He said the government, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, was implementing public financial management reforms including accounting, reporting, auditing and asset management systems of assemblies to improve service delivery.

Alhaji Mohammed-Muniru said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development was working to develop a framework for Internally Generated Fund (IGF) to guide them mobilize and manage local resources.

Mr Moses Aduk-Pam,Presiding Member of the Bawku West District Assembly, said the implementation of the composite budget hearings throughout the various MMDAs had improved the decentralization process.

He appealed to the President to, as a matter of urgency, appoint a District Chief Executive for the area since the delay in doing so was creating unnecessary anxiety among the people.

Source: GNA