Lawra District Assembly to exceed revenue target

Lawra (UWR), May 10, GNA - Out of the estimated 69,045.90 Ghana Cedis budgeted as internally generated funds, the Lawra District Assembly has so far mobilised 47,119.15 Ghana Cedis from January to April. The amount represented 68.2 per cent of the expected revenue that had been realised, Mr. Samson Abu, Lawra District Chief Executive has said. Mr. Abu made this known during the first ordinary session of the assembly at Lawra, in the Upper West Region. He said the assembly could meet its development needs and aspirations only through revenue mobilisation.

"We must therefore begin to explore other revenue generating opportunities if we are to deliver on our mandate," he said. Mr. Abu announced that the assembly was expecting 1,283,986.80 Ghana Cedis as its share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund for 2010. The District Chief Executive however said the assembly had received the fourth quarter share of the fund for 2009, which amounted to 114,902.70 Ghana Cedis.

Mr. Abu noted that the delay in releasing the Fund had affected the assembly's quest to provide more needed social facilities and economic infrastructure for the people.

He said the assembly would invest its share of the Fund for this year in the construction of three unit classroom- block at Babile, refurbish the assembly's office block and renovation of bungalows at a total cost of 107, 000.00 Ghana Cedis.

It would also spend part of the money in purchasing 500 low tension poles to support rural electrification project, construct a Community Based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) compound at the cost 50,000.00 Ghana Cedis and purchase of a vehicle for secretariat operations at 40,000.00 Ghana Cedis.

In addition, 15 boreholes and a mechanised borehole would be provided at a cost of 142,000.00 Ghana Cedis while 20,000.00 Ghana cedis would be put aside for the supply of electricity throughout the district. On the District Development Fund, Mr. Abu said the assembly was expecting to receive 724,006.63 Ghana Cedis from the fund but had so far been given 452,025.29 Ghana Cedis.

The development fund would be used among other things to provide a health assistance training school at Lawra, the completion of an assembly hall for Saint Anne's Vocational School at Nandom and a fence wall for Nandom Hospital.

Mr. Abu said the assembly would construct a midwifery training school at Nandom, a CHPS compound at Guo, a day care centre at Dikpe and furnish a CHPS compound from the 250,000.00 Ghana Cedis assistance it had received from the District Wide Assistance Programme.

The Community Based Rural Development Project (CBRDP) had provided 80,000.00 Ghana Cedis to the assembly and the amount would be used to complete the Lawra Market and construct a day care centre at Babile. The amount would also be used to complete all on-going CBRDP projects in the district.