Local Government Ministry and GIZ sign MoU
A memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), the Land Valuation Division (LVD), GIZ and 49 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to provide valuation data for property rate collection, has been signed in Accra.
The GIZ- Ghana government programme seeks to support efforts being made to implement the national decentralization policy and it is aimed at enabling national and local governance institutions to finance local development.
The programme, being implemented by the MLGRD and GIZ, was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-financed by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
Under the programme, the Ministry in collaboration with the GIZ and the LVD of the Lands Commission, shall provide support to MMDAs in the valuation of properties by providing property valuation data for the 49 GIZ partner MMDAs.
LVD is the only institution mandated by law to value properties in the country, GIZ will commission LVD to produce valuation data on properties within the boundaries of the 49 partner districts.
Signing the MOU, Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister for Local Government, said “you are aware revenue mobilisation is government’s number one priority adding that in the local government system our first commitment to Ghana Beyond Aid goal was to intensify revenue mobilization efforts.
She said various activities lined-up by the Lands Valuation Division towards the implementation of the programme should be carried out well and within the scheduled period which is expected to begin from the first week in November 2019.
Hajia Mahama said the Ministry in collaboration with GIZ has developed a district level revenue management software which is to address challenges in revenue mobilization efforts.
She said the software is also a one stop shop that provides every needed data on revenue mobilisation and urged the assemblies to get the software into their system.
The Minister expressed the hope that the assemblies would come someday to say that they did not want the common fund anymore but would rely on their Internally Generated Fund.
Mr Raphael Frerking, GIZ Programme Manager, said GIZ would cover the majority of the programme costs with an overall sum of 1.1 million euros.
He commended the donors, the German, Canadian and Swiss Government adding that this is a joint effort of multiple institutions which will chart the way for more revenues at the district and national level.
Source: GNA