Digitalising Revenue Collection: Mayor of Accra engages business community in Okaishie

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has held an engagement forum with businessmen and women in Okaishie in the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra on the implementation of its digital revenue collection system.

Speaking at the event held at the City Hall in Accra, the Mayor of Accra, Hon. Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey noted that the purpose of the engagement was to sensitize and educate participants about the digitilisation of revenue collection being rolled out by the Assembly to prevent resistance and ensure compliance.

She noted that the intention to digitalise its revenue collection was to make payments of rates more convenient and increase compliance and revenue collection, adding that about 23 banks have integrated into the platform to expand access and give users the flexibility to payment options.

"Apart from using the banks, ratepayers can equally pay their bills via mobile money on all networks, QR codes, and shortcodes," she added.

She said the AMA was leveraging the government’s digitilisation drive to create an innovative solution to increase its Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and admonished the business community to embrace the innovation to bring development to the people of Accra.

The Mayor also announced plans to re-categorise traders in the Central Business District (CBD) to enhance product discoverability on the markets, improve customer experience and help merchants reach the right shoppers, and called for partnership.

The opportunity was also used to call on the private sector to partner with the AMA in its transformational agenda of the city of Accra through the redevelopment of markets, and lorry parks to make Accra more sustainable and climate-friendly.

Among the redevelopment projects discussed was the redevelopment of Okaishie Lorry park, Rawlings park, and redevelopment of City Corner among others.

Other issues discussed during the engagement centered on sanitation, and the state of health care in the metropolis among others.