Develop Ways To Pre-Finance Assemblies - President Directs DACF, Wednesday, April 27, 2011, pg 13
President J.E.A. Mills has directed the office of the District Assemblies Common Fund to develop modalities with financial institutions to pre-finance the budget of district assemblies before their funds are released.
This, in the view of the President, is necessary in order not to stall development projects in the various assemblies, as well as ensure that such projects are monitored, evaluated and completed on schedule.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, made this known when he received the executive of the National Association of Local Government Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) when they made a courtesy call on him at the ministry.
The delegation, led by the President of NALAG, Mr Theophilus Adu-Mensah, were at the ministry to congratulate the minister on his appointment as well as pledge their support for an efficient local government system in Ghana.
NALAG is the umbrella organisation of all Local Government Authorities in Ghana. These Local Authorities include all 170 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Ghana.
The aim of the organisation is to represent the rights, priviledges and interest of all member local government authorities and to assist in maintaining a high standard of local government administration and local government service delivery.
NALAG used the occasion to also honour the former Minister of the MLGRD and current Minister of Health, Mr Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, and Mr Magnus Nicole, the former District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said the delay in the release of the assembly’s fund had made the assembly to incure huge debts, since their projects were not completed on schedule.
He said as part of measures to effectively manage waste in the country, the ministry was developing a system to involve unit committees to micro-manage waste at the electoral level.
Under the project, the ministry will procure tricycles for the unit committees to support waste collection and management.
The minister said it was regrettable that the various metropolitan and municipal assemblies were unable to effectively mobilise revenue for development purpose in spite of the limitless avenues available to them.
“It is unfortunate that some of them run to the ministry to pay debt owed waste collectors when they can raise enough with high level efficiency to offset such debts,” he said, adding that the ministry had spent some GH¢8 million to pay such debts which had not been budgeted for.
He assured NALAG of the ministry’s commitment to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
Earlier, Mr Adu-Mensah appealed to the ministry to come to the aid of the newly created assemblies some of which were operating from compound houses, filling stations and school compounds.
Responding to the need to support and improve the infrastructure of the newly created district assemblies, the Deputy Minister of the MLGRD, Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, stated that the ministry had taken inventory of all district assemblies operating under such conditions, adding that the government would soon secure funding for the development of such assemblies.
This, in the view of the President, is necessary in order not to stall development projects in the various assemblies, as well as ensure that such projects are monitored, evaluated and completed on schedule.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, made this known when he received the executive of the National Association of Local Government Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) when they made a courtesy call on him at the ministry.
The delegation, led by the President of NALAG, Mr Theophilus Adu-Mensah, were at the ministry to congratulate the minister on his appointment as well as pledge their support for an efficient local government system in Ghana.
NALAG is the umbrella organisation of all Local Government Authorities in Ghana. These Local Authorities include all 170 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Ghana.
The aim of the organisation is to represent the rights, priviledges and interest of all member local government authorities and to assist in maintaining a high standard of local government administration and local government service delivery.
NALAG used the occasion to also honour the former Minister of the MLGRD and current Minister of Health, Mr Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, and Mr Magnus Nicole, the former District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said the delay in the release of the assembly’s fund had made the assembly to incure huge debts, since their projects were not completed on schedule.
He said as part of measures to effectively manage waste in the country, the ministry was developing a system to involve unit committees to micro-manage waste at the electoral level.
Under the project, the ministry will procure tricycles for the unit committees to support waste collection and management.
The minister said it was regrettable that the various metropolitan and municipal assemblies were unable to effectively mobilise revenue for development purpose in spite of the limitless avenues available to them.
“It is unfortunate that some of them run to the ministry to pay debt owed waste collectors when they can raise enough with high level efficiency to offset such debts,” he said, adding that the ministry had spent some GH¢8 million to pay such debts which had not been budgeted for.
He assured NALAG of the ministry’s commitment to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
Earlier, Mr Adu-Mensah appealed to the ministry to come to the aid of the newly created assemblies some of which were operating from compound houses, filling stations and school compounds.
Responding to the need to support and improve the infrastructure of the newly created district assemblies, the Deputy Minister of the MLGRD, Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, stated that the ministry had taken inventory of all district assemblies operating under such conditions, adding that the government would soon secure funding for the development of such assemblies.
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