Mr. Frank NeeQuaye, Presiding Member of the Mfantseman District Assembly says a three-member committee is studying the possibility of forming a limited liability company, the Mfantseman Enterprise Limited Company, to participate in bidding for contracts, so that the money realized would be used to pay end of service awards to assembly members.
He was speaking at the first sitting of the Fourth Assembly at Saltpond in the Central Region.
Mr. Steve Asamoah Boateng from the Office of the President said two investors have shown an interest in the Saltpond Ceramics Factory and have promised to reconstruct it.
He said the Mfantseman District would benefit from the Social Investment Fund.
He explained the reasons for the fuel price increases and appealed to the assembly members to take the message back to their various assemblies. Mr. Kofi Akyen Wilson, District Chief Executive of Mfantseman said general poverty and the absence of meaningful and rewarding jobs has affected the fortunes of the assembly. He asked the assembly members to put revenue mobilization at the top of their priorities since the assembly can only develop if it has enough funds. Mr. Wilson said the assembly estimated that it would collect ?547,000,000 last year, but collected only ?335,275,000. He attributed this shortfall to unrealistic projections due to lack of up-to-date revenue database.
He said a revenue collection chart of each assembly would be put at the administration, and this would form the basis for more development projects in each assembly. Mr. Wilson said the assembly through its Credit Approval Committee has disbursed ?325,203,528 to groups and individuals engaged in income generating activities. ?138,000,000 has also been given out as scholarships to students in teacher training schools and other tertiary students.
He said under the Emergency Social Relief Programme (ESRP), the district has used ?582,000,000 to support farmers, fishermen and fishmongers in the district.
He said this year the assembly would have a health education outreach programme, expanded immunization programme, vitamin A supplementation programme, filariasis control programme, community health programme and safe motherhood programme. He said private companies would be contracted to take up the Clean City Service in the management and collection of refuse in the district.
Mr. Wilson said the district would set up an education endowment fund this year to expand educational infrastructure.
He asked members to put aside their political affiliations and come together as one family to help develop the district.
