MMDAs should account to local people

Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have been urged to be accountable to the local people to enable them generate more revenue needed for development.

Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, Chief Executive Officer of Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), a Non-Governmental Organisation who gave the advice, emphasised that, MMDAs could strengthen and improve on their revenue mobilization if the local people are told what their taxes are used for.

He was speaking at a meeting at Dormaa-Ahenkro to brief participants on a project the NGO and Gift FM, a Dormaa-Ahenkro based radio station, are undertaking in the Dormaa Central Municipality. Star-Ghana is funding the 14-month project dubbed “local FM and civil society organizations promoting revenue management and its utilization for development” at the cost of 50,000 dollars.

It is aimed at improving citizens engagements in District Assembly budget planning and openness in the management and utilization of revenue as well as enhancing transparency and responsiveness in the management and utilization of the assembly’s Internally Generated Fund (IGF) and the District Assembly Common Fund.

Mr Ahenu stressed that tax payment was an obligated responsibility of all citizens and it behoved on MMDAs to also ensure that taxes paid are utilized for development purposes. He noted with concern that because MMDAs had failed to be accountable to the local people, they sometimes found it difficult to claim taxes from them as the people are always reluctant to pay.

Mr Victor Fosu Boamah, Director of Operations, GLOMEF and Project Coordinator explained that the project would be undertaken in 12 communities in the municipality. They are Dormaa-Ahenkro, Amasu, Sukora, Danyame, Asenso number two, Atesikrom and Nsuhia.

Others are Kosane, Aboabo number four, Kokorasua, Asikasu number two and Asikasu number one. Mr Boamah said under the project selected people from the communities would distribute questionnaire among their community members in outlining revenue mobilization and utilization in the areas.

Mr Francis Boahen, Director of Gift FM was optimistic that the project implementing communities would cooperate to achieve the desired outcome.