Payment Of Common Fund In Arrears Is Unhelpful

 
 
Desirous of ensuring a uniform standard of living across the length and breadth of Ghana, the framers of the 1992 Constitution created a pool of funds for even development in the hinterlands.

Christened the District Assemblies Common Fund (DCAF), it is quantified to be, at least, five percent of national revenues.

Released four times a year, at the end of each quarter (every three months), it is earmarked by the Constitution for the setting up of cottage industries, construction of housing units, health facilities, classrooms and counterpart funding for community-initiated projects.

The Chronicle believes that if used judiciously for the above life-enhancing activities, our districts would, over time, begin to compete favourably with the regional capitals, and possibly, win and reverse the rural-urban drift into an urban-rural drift.

However, the very erratic nature of the releases by the Ministry of Finance to the District Assemblies Common Funds Administrator, and to the District Assemblies, and the emerging tendency among politicians and public servants to collaborate to 'create, loot, and share', is working at cross purposes with the laudable objectives of the DACF.

For instance, instead of having received the first three quarterly releases of 2013 by this time of the year, the MMDAS are just receiving in October 2013 the first quarter allocation, which should have reached them by early April this year – Six solid months late, when it should be only a week or two, ideally.

We note from the advertisement from the Daily Graphic that all the 216 District Assemblies received a total of GH¢70,081,036.04 for the first quarter of 2013. If that is at least five percent, as stipulated by law, then the national revenue for the first quarter of 2013 was at least GH¢1,401,620,728.00.

It is said on the DACF website that civil society, the Office of the Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund, and the government, have the joint responsibility of ensuring the judicious use of the DACF.

The Chronicle understands that in auditing the District Assemblies the Auditor-General's Department carries out the responsibility of the government of ensuring the judicious use of assembly funds. However, this is done after the event, after funds may have been looted.

But we are at a loss as to how civil society and the Office of the Administrator would do theirs sitting in Accra.

The Chronicle advocates an arrangement that would have civil society and the Administrator's Office vet internal district assembly disbursements before the monies are spent.

Embezzlement of state funds have become so rampant, and the culprits apparently so untouchable, that the better approach would be to prevent the money being stolen in the first place.

A stitch in time still saves nine!!