Assembly members of AMA meets in Accra

Accra, Sept 25, GNA - Final financial agreement has been reached between the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the World Bank to complete the work on the Kwabenya Sanitary Landfill Project, Mr Solomon Ofei Darko, Chief Executive Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) announced in Accra.

The project, which is being implemented under the Urban Environmental Sanitation Project (UESP), when completed would be one of the best waste disposal sites in Africa, designed to ensure good health and safety for the people in Accra.

Addressing the Third Ordinary Meeting of the First Session of Assembly on Wednesday, Mr Darko said because of the importance of the landfill project, landlords and all those, who have expressed opposition to its location, should rescind their decision because it was based on misinformation being peddled by some people with vested parochial interest.

About 100 assembly members of the AMA, Members of Parliament and Heads of Departments are attending the meeting, being chaired by Mr Ben Annan, the Presiding Member.

It would address activities and programmes of the assembly for the period of July to September and also map out other programmes to develop the city.

Mr Darko said the Assembly was still faced with the problem of mobilising enough resources to tackle the sanitation problem in the city.

He said the sanitation problem had been compounded by rapid urbanisation and population pressure on infrastructural facilities, indiscriminate disposal of refuse by residents, non-payment of requisite fees by beneficiaries and the lack of effective involvement of the Sub-Metropolitan Assemblies "in the whole business of waste management in the city".

Mr Darko said to effectively manage sanitation in Accra, all the 14 Sub-Metropolitan Assembles would be made solely responsible for the management of solid waste at their level.

He, therefore, urged the assembly members to champion the cause of educating the public on the need for good sanitation practices and to initiate weekly clean-ups in their communities.

He said public toilets were only meant to be sited at public places like markets centres and lorry parks and warned landlords, who have no toilet facilities in their residential properties or had converted such facilities into living rooms to desist from such act, or else face prosecution.

Mr Darko said the Assembly collected revenue of 46.3 billion cedis as against an expenditure of 41.1 billion cedis during the first half of the year.

He observed that receipts under some headings were very low, saying only 268.4 million cedis was received from the banks instead of the projected 1.2 billion cedis.

The Assembly would, therefore, embark on a massive "pay-your levy" exercise from October 1 to collect all fees and rates being owed by its clients.

"We have warned ratepayers to settle their indebtedness before the dateline to avoid any embarrassment."

He announced that the phase two of the house numbering exercise would soon start, saying the cost is being assessed and the bye-laws to support the exercise was being reviewed.

On the revaluation exercise, Mr Darko said the mapping exercise would be completed by the end of October after which the actual revaluation would start by January next year for use, adding that this would help to enhance the revenue base of AMA.

The Chief Executive Officer said major road projects in Accra were underway with others being planned for execution in the city while consultants had been engaged to design the High Street Independence Square-Ring Road to the end of Mortuary Road, which is estimated at 12 million dollars. 25 Sept. 03