Nkwanta (V/R), July 11, GNA – The Nkwanta District Assembly performed abysmally in revenue generation from its local sources, collecting only 36,157 Ghana cedis of its target of 112,130 Ghana cedis, representing 32.2 percent of projected revenue.
Mr Joseph Denteh, the District Chief Executive, who spoke at the assembly’s first general meeting on Monday, attributed the poor performance to the unfenced market, inactive revenue collectors and unexploited revenue sources.
He said the area councils would be tasked to compile nominal rolls of rateable items to facilitate revenue collection, engage national service personnel in revenue mobilization, the provision of logistics and to pursue and sustain awareness creation. Mr Denteh said since the internally generated funds (IGF) were critical in the determination and allocation of the District’s Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), the assembly would employ strategies including licensing of motorbikes and bicycles that are abundant in the area to increase its revenue.
He said its first allocation of the DACF of 25,359 Ghana cedis had been received.
Under the European Union Micro-Project programmes, Mr Denteh said, the district was benefiting from 160,000 Ghana cedis support with counterpart funding from the assembly and the communities amounting to 46,000 Ghana cedis in materials and labour.
Eight projects spanning sanitation, education infrastructure, warehouses and culverts are under construction.
He said under the Community Based Rural Development Projects, three three-unit classroom blocks with offices and storerooms, four-seat KVIPs and urinals had been completed at Jumbo, Cheri, Obunja and Kabre-Akura. Two boreholes fitted with pumps and the construction feeder roads were going on at Nagingong.
On the water, Mr Denteh said to date there were 274 boreholes functioning with hand pumps in 124 communities, 89 under construction in 55 communities.
Mr Joseph Nayan, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister and also MP for Nkwanta-North, appealed to all stakeholders to evolve strategies to improve revenue mobilization.
Mr Gershon Gbediame, the MP for Nkwanta-South, said attempts to sideline him from activities in the area had political repercussions that could undermine the peace of the area and requested the revival of dormant communication links.
Mr Jakaye Jackson, the Presiding Member of the Assembly, called for a wider tax net since the over reliance on the common fund was holding back the development of the area.
