AMA bags over C39 billion in 2002

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) collected 39.21 billion cedis as revenue in 2002 as against 27.02 billion cedis in 2001, Solomon Ofei Darko, AMA Chief Executive, said on Wednesday.

He said the increase of about 45.1 percent is due to the identification and inclusion in the assembly's valuation list of new properties, through the renumbering exercise and increased privatisation of the collection of rates and fees.

Ofei Darko told the third ordinary meeting of the third AMA session, that identification of untapped sources of revenue, intensification and enforcement of measures, including arrests to check leakage and other acts of indiscipline and corruption in revenue collection, as other factors that contributed to the growth in revenue.

Improvement in the equipment for billing, purchase of new vehicles to boost logistics in revenue collection, enforcement of byelaws on rate defaulters also helped the AMA, he said.

He cited the closure of the business premises of Standard Chartered and Barclays Banks and said this action prompted other defaulters to rush and settle their indebtedness to the Assembly.

"I must admit that the closure of the premises of these reputable financial institutions was an unpleasant exercise but we were compelled to take this measure as a last resort to generate funds to arrest the mounting pressure of paying for very essential services and also avoid the catastrophe of serious epidemics in the city."

Darko announced that more measures such as house numbering, new property identification for valuation and digital mapping and property identification projects would be employed vigorously to achieve more than the set target for this year.

He announced that within the past two years, the AMA had provided 12,968 mono and dual desks for basic schools, 1,671 teachers' tables and chairs and 161 cupboards. By the end of this year, all classrooms in Accra would have adequate furniture for both pupils and teachers, he said.

The AMA boss said the Assembly also rehabilitated 26 school buildings while 21 new ones under its supervision were under construction with financial support of the International Development Association (IDA) and the British Department for International Development.

Ofei Darko said the assembly spent about 60 million cedis on scholarships for 120 needy but brilliant pupils in the JSS and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) and would start sponsorship for teacher trainees this year.

He said the assembly had undertaken a number of development projects during the year under review with funds mainly from the District Assemblies Common Fund, the Road Fund, AMA internally generated funds and assistance from donors.

"Projects under the HIPC Relief are also in progress in the communities. We have so far received 1.75 billion (50 percent) of the funds allocated to the AMA to support these project," he said.