Kumasi, Sept.30, GNA - The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies have been asked to be assertive and demand explanation to various sums of money deducted from their share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) by the Administrator of the Fund. He said their failure to ask questions had contributed to the continuous deductions at source for items and projects, which the assemblies might have no idea, budgeted or approved as expected by the law.

Mr Manu was speaking at a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Kumasi on Wednesday. Mr Opoku Manu asked the assemblies to challenge the basis for the deductions which were affecting the flow of funds thereby crippling the implementation of development projects and programmes at the local level.

The meeting was at the instance of GJA and the KAB Governance Consult, to solicit the support of the Minister and the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and assemblies in the region to assist Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs). It is part of the GJA's advocacy programme aimed at using the media to strengthen support for SMEs to develop and grow in order to reduce poverty.

Mr Opoku Manu said SMEs played significant role in poverty alleviation and revenue generation at the local level and there was the need for them to receive the needed support to enable them to expand to provide employment to the people. He said the RCC would encourage the assemblies to provide the right atmosphere for SMEs to grow and called on all to any such move. Mr Akwasi Afriyie Badu, Chief Executive of KAB Governance Consult, said advocating for increased support for SMEs at the local level was necessary because the sector had the potential to reduce poverty in the country.

He said the Project was part of GJA's social responsibility to ensure that SMEs developed and grow to reduce poverty and urged the assemblies to be creative and support SNEs. Mr Bright Blewu, General Secretary of GJA, said the media consider SMEs as important for poverty reduction in the country He said the GJA was committed to supporting SMEs and the association would continue to work to ensure the economic entities received the needed assistance. 30 Sept 09