Five Assemblies in Northern Region record increased revenues

Five District Assemblies in the Northern Region have recorded increased revenue generation, which will enable them to undertake initiatives that will bring development to their people.

Representatives of the Assemblies, which included Savelugu, Karaga, Kumbungu, Mion and Saboba, announced this at a day's forum for budget officers, finance officers and revenue inspectors from the Assemblies to dialogue and share information on how to improve on revenue mobilization within their jurisdictions.

The forum, held in Tamale, was organised by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), an NGO, as part of its Economic Governance Project (EGP), which formed part of the third phase of the Empowerment for Life Programme being implemented in the five Assemblies.

The EGP is aimed at strengthening the local government system to generate revenue as well as use its resources to benefit its citizens, and so far 350 revenue collectors in the five Assemblies have been trained under the EGP to help improve revenue collection.

Mr Kingsley Boafo Agamah, Budget Analyst at Karaga District Assembly said the EGP had helped the assembly to increase its revenue generation base thereby reaching its targeted revenue compared to previous years.

Mr Boafo Agamah said the trainings held for the Assembly’s revenue collectors as part of the EGP had helped curb issues of revenue leakages leading to increased revenue collection.

Madam Issifu Fozia, an Assistant Accountant in-charge of Internally Generated Funds (IGF) at Mion District Assembly said the Assembly was now meeting its revenue target as against previous years.

She said "Compared to 2017 revenue generated, when the EGP was introduced in our district, GDCA undertook some initiatives such as sensitising citizens on the need to pay their taxes and shot our revenue up. In 2018, we even exceeded our target".

Mr Hamidu Wajuul, a Revenue Inspector at Saboba District Assembly said as part of the EGP, many of the residents were sensitised on the need to pay taxes, which had made the work of revenue collectors easy as the citizens were willing to pay taxes.

Mr Mohammed Musah Project Officer at GDCA in-charge of EGP said 280 citizens in the five districts were also trained on revenue monitoring techniques to enhance the efficient relationship between the citizenry and the Assemblies in generating revenue especially IGF.