Explore new avenues for IGF … Minister tells DCEs

The Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has charged the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the region to shift away from their over-reliance on the Common Fund, and explore other potential avenues that can boost their financial standing.

This, the Minister said, would enable the assemblies pass their Functional Organisational Assessment Tool (FOAT), to ensure that they receive funds for infrastructural development.

Mr. Duncan stated this at this year’s first Regional Co-ordinating Council meeting, held at the Regional Office in Cape Coast, on Tuesday.

According to the Minister, several opportunities abound in the various assemblies that must be explored by the MMDCEs to generate income.

He noted that the assemblies could rake in badly-needed funds to undertake certain important initiatives, if proper measures were put in place to prevent leakages that enable individuals to misuse funds generated internally.

To be able to qualify for the Functional Organisational Assessment Tool, which comes with a lot of money, the Minister said the assemblies must pay full attention to how they mobilise funds internally, as well as how the funds would be used.

Due to this, he charged the MMDCEs to get themselves involved in revenue generation, by occasionally going round to find out whether the required tickets were sold at the various points.

He observed that some unscrupulous revenue collectors connive with others and pocket revenue.

He further advised the MMDCEs, who are all new at the various posts, to work around the clock to discover the areas where they have comparative advantages, and market themselves well, so that they could attract investors.

He added that the chief executives must position their respective assemblies in a manner that would give them the opportunity to benefit immensely from the regional development commission, CEDECOM.