Ho Assembly raises 84% of 2003 revenue by September

Ho, Jan. 29, GNA - The Ho District Assembly generated 1.78 billion cedis revenue, representing 84 percent of its 2.1 billion cedis target as at the end of the third quarter of last year.

This is an improvement over the 1.05 billion cedis revenue, representing 64.2 percent it collected in 2002.

Addressing the first session of the Assembly in Ho on Wednesday, Mr Mawutor Goh, District Chief Executive (DCE), implored all stakeholders to gird their loins to improve their revenue performance in the ensuing year, as the district had been given a municipal status.

He said over 2.1 billion cedis being the Assembly's allocation of the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) in the same period, was expended on community initiated projects, poverty alleviation, education fund and counterpart funding for donor projects.

The DCE said the fourth quarter allocation was yet to be received. Mr Goh said the Assembly had received 500 million cedis being the first instalment of its 1.5 billion cedis HIPC Relief Fund. Under the second phase of the European Union (EU) Micro Projects Programme, more than 1.05 billion cedis was also expended in the construction of educational and sanitation facilities, which had all been completed.

Mr Goh said all the sub district structures had been inaugurated, while 55 million cedis was made available to each sub district from phase two of the Danish Support for District Assemblies to undertake economic projects to generate the needed income and to make them self-sufficient.

He said a couple of feeder roads had been rehabilitated. They included Sokode-Bame, Kpetoe town roads, Keyime-Adaklu Torda and Bame-Kpedze roads.

The DCE said a comprehensive action plan for water and sanitation had been designed for the Ho District, spanning 2004-2008 and urged stakeholders to make inputs towards its successful implementation. Mr Goh appealed to Assembly members to embrace the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and generate discussions in their electoral areas for its acceptance and consequent implementation.

The Assembly has projected an expenditure budget of 12.5 billion 2004, showing an increase of 37 percent over that of last year. The projection comprises a capital expenditure of 8.86 billion cedis and a recurrent expenditure of 3.66 billion cedis.

In the year under review, some development projects have been earmarked in the district including the construction of stores at the Ho Central Market with a start up fund of 500 million cedis, 200 million cedis for the rehabilitation of streetlights and the provision of 550 million cedis as counterpart funds for Social Investment Fund (SIF), Village Infrastructure Projects (VIP) and EU projects.

Mr Steve Akorli, MP for Ho-East praised the Assembly for including an estimate of 52 million cedis as allowances for the Unit, Town and Area Councils to strengthen the decentralisation process.