Accra will be a modern city despite challenges - Vanderpuije

Accra, May 13, GNA - The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA)will pursue its objective of making Accra a city befitting its national capital status despite the enormous challenges facing it, Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, city mayor pledged on Thursday.

According to him, AMA like other metropolitan assemblies was faced with challenges due to the high demand for schools, roads, modern markets and efficient health facilities.

Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije was launching the Urban Poverty Reduction Project (UPRP) to assist in revenue mobilisation to build social infrastructure for communities in the metropolis.

The UPRP is under the Social Investment Fund (SIF) which aims at strengthening Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to execute their core objectives of enhancing revenue mobilisation for development.

The project is also designed to help build adequate capacity for AMA= to increase efficiency in service delivery by communicating to rateable adul= ts and institutions the causal link between rate payment and development. Dr. Vanderpuije said AMA had no excuse in not developing the city an= d stressed the need to step up its revenue mobilisation efforts. He said it was unfortunate that in the 21st century, AMA was still having problems with its revenue mobilisation and noted that the assembly=

would institute a technology to ensure easy payment as well as closing th= e loop holes in generation of revenue "but until then the traditional way would be used in an effective manner".

The Accra Mayor said an effective data base of businesses and individuals would be compiled to aid revenue mobilisation and noted that it realised 65 per cent of its revenue in 2009, an increase of 11 per cent compared to 2008 and expressed the hope that AMA would increase its reven= ue mobilisation to 76-77 per cent this year and 80 per cent in the next two years.

He announced that 200 volunteers had been recruited by AMA to go rou= nd the metropolis and sensitise individuals and business enterprises on the causal link between rate payment and development to help rake in more revenue for the growth of the city and urged the recruits to undertake th= eir work in humility and with respect. Dr. Vanderpuije said the assembly spent about 95 per cent of its generated revenue on refuse collection, therefore the residents would hav= e to pay the contractors for their operations and noted that high class residential areas would pay GH¢14 while middle class areas pay nine Gha= na cedis for monthly refuse collection.

He advised traders operating at the Novotel market to move to Odorna=

Market and noted that Tema station was a lorry park and not a market and at the appropriate time the traders would also be moved to allow vehicles be= ing registered by AMA to have enough space to park and pick passengers. Mr. Timothy Oman, Director of Development Planning, AMA, said the volunteers would be orientated before they move into the communities to sensitise individuals and business enterprises for three months after whi= ch it would be evaluated.

Mr. Justice Henaku-Akuffo, Zonal Officer of SIF, said the programme=

would enable assemblies deliver services in an improved manner to ensure improved living standards for the residents through poverty reduction in line with the assemblies' core functions. He said it was important for the assembly to engage rate payers and=

bring their inputs on board in the preparation of fees fixing resolution not in the usual cosmetic way of just informing them when the rates had alrea= dy been fixed.

The SIF, he noted, was collaborating with AMA to pay the cost of a-three-month sustained and intensive house to house and business to business campaign on the need for all to honour their tax obligation to t= he AMA.