District assemblies urged to ensure prudent use of common fund

Kumasi, Jan. 29, GNA - District, Municipal and Metropolitan assemblies have been urged to ensure prudent management and judicious use of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) in order to reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of their people. Mr Joshua Magnus Nicol, Administrator of the DACF, made the call at an Ashanti Regional Forum on the impact of the fund on the poverty reduction strategy in Kumasi on Wednesday.

The forum, which was organised by the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), the DACF Secretariat and the Netherlands Development Co-operation (SNV), was aimed at deepening the understanding of key local government practitioners on the objectives and strategies of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) and the roles expected to be played by district assemblies and other stakeholders in the realisation of its goals.

Mr Nicol said financial resources had become one of the most important components in the implementation of the GPRS. District assemblies should therefore consider the DACF as very important and make judicious use of it to benefit their people. Mr Nicol said the common fund had contributed tremendously in the provision of basic social amenities in the various communities of the country.

He said this year a substantial part of the fund would go into sanitation, which had been identified as a serious environmental challenge to most assemblies.

Mr Nicol said the DACF secretariat would also intensify its monitoring and evaluation roles to ensure that resources were put to good use to benefit the people.

Mr Ameyaw Kyereme, General Secretary of NALAG, said the fight against poverty would not succeed unless government exhibited real political and financial commitment.

He said since its introduction, the GPRS document had not been publicly debated and commended the DACF secretariat and SNV for the regional forums, which would offer local government practitioners the opportunity to own it.

Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the GPRS was designed to accelerate poverty reduction and protect the vulnerable and the excluded through equitable and sustainable growth of the economy.

He said the district assemblies had demonstrated appreciable levels of competence in managing the common fund and called for an increase in the percentage of the fund from the present five to 10 percent.