Gomoa Central District Assembly Intensified Revenue Mobilization For Development

Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo, Gomoa East District Chief Executive

The newly created Gomoa Central District Assembly in the Central Region has intensified its revenue mobilization to facilitate its development agenda, the DCE, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo has announced.

Addressing the maiden ordinary meeting of the third session of the sixth Assembly at Gomoa Afransi, the DCE disclosed in his address that the newly created District ought to intensify its internal generated fund adding depending solely on common fund won't achieve total infrastructure development.

" With the creation of the District, Gomoa Central which was curved out of the Gomoa East District Assembly is challenged with the mobilization of its Internal Generated Fund though we have potentials, therefore we must put our hearts and hands together to enable us raise the needed revenue to improve on our infrastructure and other social amenities within the District.

Revenue mobilization team has been formed as part of the Assembly's strategies in generating and mobilizing revenue. I also wish to crave your indulgence as Assembly Members to create needed awareness in your electoral areas on the need for all and sundry to honour their tax obligations to the Assembly "

Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo further stated that as a result of the spilt of the District, there has been a decrease in in the number of revenue collectors so management has propose to outsource the collection of Property Rate to a third party and has also engaged the services of other commission collectors to boost revenue generation.

On Planting for Food and jobs program, the DCE announced that Two thousand and Seventy-five (2075) farmers have registered so far adding Two Thousand Seven Hundred kilograms (2700kg) of seed maize have been received and were being distributed to the registered farmers.

" Committee to steer the affairs of the District Center for Agriculture, Commerce and Technology (DCACT) has been inaugurated.

There has been sensitization on the functions of the center especially in connection with the One District One Factory cash crop programme.

More farmers have been registered and are in the process of forming farmers groups.

Ten Thousand (10,000) seed nurseries are to be established to feed 156 acre plots. It is envisaged that more jobs would be created for their teeming unemployed youth in the District.

Hon Presiding Member, permit me to present to the house the various projects being carried out by the Assembly and various stages of completion.

Construction of1 no. 3-Unit classroom block, Office, Store and Staff Common Room at Gomoa Obuasi is 50% completed. Construction of ICT complex at Gomoa Afransi is 60% Completed.

Still on projects, Five Modern toilets with solar lights and its own borehole have been awarded by the Central Government for some communities in the District. The contractors have gone to the sites and construction would Start soon.

Additionally, another Five Modern boreholes with its solar panel for pumping have been awarded by the Central Government to be constructed soon to provide potable drinking water to the beneficiary communities "

Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo stated that the Assembly received a total of Eight Hundred and Twenty-seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Seventy-six Ghana Cedis, Seventy -two pesewas (GHc 827,576.72) being its share of the third and fourth quarter of the District Assembly Common Fund for the year 2017.

He disclosed that the amount had been used prudently for completion of most of the Assembly projects in the District.

The Presiding Member for Gomoa Central District Assembly, Hon. Kweku Nyarko Koomsom noted that the Executive Committee of the Assembly has recommended to the Assembly among other issues that appointment of non-performing revenue collectors should be terminated and new and serious ones taken to ensure rise in revenue mobilization.

According to him, the executive committee also recommend at its sitting that all properties in the District should be valued thus encouraging the Assembly to ensure the implementation of the Street Naming and Property Addressing System which would be the major boost Revenue mobilization.