Assembly to spend 15 billion cedis on development projects

Mpraeso, July 13, GNA - The Kwahu South District Assembly is spending over 15 billion cedis to undertake a number of development projects to enhance the living standards of the people in the district. Projects include construction of roads, block of classrooms, markets, residential quarters, places of convenience, drilling of bore holes, provision of school furniture and control of the spread of malaria and HIV/AIDs.

The projects are being financed from the Assembly's share of the District Assembly Common Fund, HIPC and GETFund, the European Union (EU) and the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP). Other sources of funding include Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Quality Improvement in Primary Schools (QUIPS), and the Ghana Government.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Raymond Osafo Gyan announced this at the third ordinary meeting of the Assembly at Mpraeso on Friday. He said out of an estimated internally generated revenue of 1,059 billion cedis this year, 315.9 million cedis, representing 31.4 percent had been realised at the end of April.

The DCE said for the Assembly to achieve its revenue mobilisation target this year, a number of measures such as the formation of a revenue tax force and the prosecution of defaulters, collection of revenue in the night and weekends and incentives to collectors had been put in place.

He called on Assembly members to co-operate and give the needed assistance to the revenue collectors and members of the tax force to mobilise adequate revenue to finance more development projects in the communities.

To enhance effective health delivery in the district, Mr Osafo Gyan said the Ministry of Finance had ordered the release of 100 million cedis through the Ministry of Health to the Okwawuman Health Insurance Scheme operating in the district.

He said the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs and the Senior Minister's Office had disbursed 163.1 million cedis to 27 individuals and 22 groups, mostly farmers, under the Poverty Reduction Fund. The DCE, however, expressed regret that only 12.2 million cedis out of 247 million cedis disbursed under the Poverty Alleviation Fund last year had been recovered and appealed to all beneficiaries to pay up for others to benefit.

Mr Osafo Djan said the assembly would purchase three television sets and place them at vantage communities to support the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on distance learning while the assembly had also recommended the construction of brick and tile, bamboo factory and the development of tourist centres to the Minister of Trade and Industry for assistance to offer employment to the youth in the area.

The Presiding Member of the Assembly, Lt. Col. (rtd) Alex Owusu Dwamena, commended the Assembly members for their co-operation and urged them to ensure effective local public participation and supervision of development projects being undertaken in their electoral areas.