Assemblies should monitor revenue collectors - Minister

Jirapa, July 18, GNA - Mr Sahanun Mogtari, Upper West Regional Minister, has appealed to district assemblies to plug loopholes in the sources of their internally generated revenue and to monitor Revenue Collectors. This is the only way to improve their internally generated revenue. He was addressing the second ordinary meeting of the Jirapa/Lambussie District Assembly, at Jirapa attended by Mr. Edward Salia MP for Jirapa and Mrs Alice Boon, MP for Lambussie.

The Minister was not happy that as at the end of May the assembly had mobilised only 69.4 million cedis and wondered if it could realise the 150 million-cedi target set for the year. Mr Salia also expressed disappointment that, seven months into the year, the assembly was still operating without a budget due to its inability to meet to approve the estimates. He suggested that government nominees to the assembly should not be based on political considerations alone, adding that, knowledgeable people with special skills should also be considered and be made to chair sub-committees.

Mr Salia said parliamentarians have been allocated 20 million cedis from the GETFund for projects in the education sector. Mrs Winifred Yakah, District Chief Executive, said 96 boreholes initiated under the Community Water and Sanitation Project 11, which should have been completed last year, would be finished before the end of the year. She said pump testing; pad construction and installation of another 32 boreholes drilled at a total cost of 1.5 billion cedis were being done.