Lower Manya District Assembly generates more revenue

Odumase Krobo, July 29, GNA - The Lower Manya Krobo District Assembly collected GHC 90,186.84 as at June out of the projected annual budget estimate of GHC 257,398 as the internally generated revenue. Mr Isaac Agbo-Tetteh, the District Chief Executive, said this at the first meeting of the third session of the assembly at Odumase Krobo.

He said measures being adopted to improve revenue collection include overhaul of the revenue collection mechanism and introduction of night revenue collection.

Others are quarterly otation of revenue collectors, weekly and monthly analysis of revenue and expenditure, supervision of revenue collectors, the formation of a Revenue Task Force and sanctioning of non-performing revenue collectors. Mr Agbo-Tetteh said to ensure effective management of the Agormanya market, the assembly would form a Market Management Committee to initiate policies to allocate stalls, spaces and manage the sanitation situation at the market.

The committee is also expected to recommend strategies to improve the revenue collection system at the market, resolve conflicts among traders and explore avenues to develop other satellite markets in parts of the district, especially Akuse. He appealed to the assembly members to join forces to enable them increase their financial base to rake in more revenue.

Mr Agbo-Tetteh said the assembly was indebted to contractors and service providers to the tune of GHC 599,424.74 and that the figure might rise.

He said the assembly was allocated GHC 1,549,636.28 as their share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) for the year with a total amount of GHC 168,250.95 being released as the allocation for the first quarter.

Mr Agbo-Tetteh said in view of the precarious financial position, the assembly had decided to concentrate on completion of existing projects.

He mentioned new projects earmarked to be undertaken during the year as the construction of a district assembly block, the completion of staff quarters at Aklomuase, the construction of a modern circuit court building and the completion of the landscaping of the assembly premises. Mr Agbo-Tetteh said the assembly would develop the Kpong "Tilapia Beach" into a modern resort.

"Our concept of the project is to develop modern sheds for the tilapia sellers, redesign the beach and provide modern sanitary facilities and restaurants for visitors". He was of the view that the project would turn around their revenue base, create jobs and promote tourism potentials to the outside world.

Mr Agbo-Tetteh expressed worry about the standard of education in the district and said "A cursory analysis of the Basic Education Certificate Examination results shows that we are producing large troops of semi-illiterate students which is dangerous to our development." He said the state of school buildings is not conducive for teaching and learning and that might account for the low morale of the teachers to give off their best.

Mr Agbo-Tetteh said in order to address those problems, the administration would put in place a strategic work plan to provide a sound and quality education in the district. He mentioned those strategies as encouraging the enrolment of the girl-child and ensuring their retention in school, motivate teachers in the villages and establishment of a Teachers' Fund, provision of scholarship to needy but brilliant students and the reconstruction and rehabilitating of school buildings.

On agriculture, Mr Tetteh-Agbo said the assembly was exploring ways to expand the mango business as well as invite investors to install processing machines in order to add value to the products. He said under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) programme, some farmers would be given micro-credit to expand their business for export. On the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, he said as at June, 90,150 people had been registered. 29 July 09