Assembly members asked to assist in generating revenue

Ajumako (C/R) Dec. 26, GNA - The Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam district assembly collected a total revenue of 182.3 million cedis from January to October this year from its local resources as against a target of 673.1 million cedis.

The figure shows that the assembly realized only 27.1 percent as against 33.97 percent in 2004.

Mr. Kenneth Obempong, the District Chief Executive, who made this known at the 2nd ordinary meeting of the assembly at Ajumako on Friday called on the assembly members to evolve more pragmatic ways that would facilitate revenue generation and collection in the district. He said the picture from their financial records was dismal and this calls for all concerned to put their shoulders to the wheel to lift the assembly from its financial doldrums.

Mr Obempong in this regard said, the assembly has decided to involve the assembly members and unit committee members in the collection of revenue on community basis to reverse the downward trend, which his administration has inherited.

He said the district assembly has in the past five years executed 120 development projects in the district, adding that a grant of 1.7 billion cedis have been approved for the execution of more projects in some communities under the Community Based Rural Development Project (CBRD). The projects included rehabilitation of nurses' quarters, three-unit classroom block, construction of six-unit classroom block and 10 hand-dug wells.

Mr Obempong said beneficiary communities would be trained and resourced with an amount of 150 million cedis to identify and implement their own community programmes.

On road construction, he said a total of 141.3 kilometres feeder roads have been awarded on contract for reshaping and appealed to the assembly members to be abreast with government policies to enable them interpret them to their electorates.

Mr. Obempong hoped with the same sense of unity of purpose coupled with effective approach to issues they would push the district forward in its development agenda.

Mr. Kojo Ampiah-Biney, the presiding member of the assembly, in his welcome address appealed to the district assembly to organise in-service training for the assembly members and staff to upgrade their skills. He appealed to parents to take advantage of the capitation grant to send their children to school. Mr. Ampiah-Biney said the assembly would soon institute court action against loan defaulters.