Kumasi, Oct. 11, GNA 96 An eight-member delegation from the City of Almere in the Netherlands, arrived in Kumasi to finalise negotiations for the implementation of the Kumasi-Almere Logo-South project.

The project, an initiative under the KMA-Almere sister-city relationship, is to provide technical support to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to increase revenue mobilisation from property rates and business fees by 100 per cent within the Asokwa Sub-metropolitan area by the end of 2008 under a pilot scheme.

This is expected to be achieved through improvement in the quality, structuring and accessibility of data, political commitment and building of the capacities of revenue collectors.

The delegation is also expected to finalise the implementation of the extended MERC scheme (House to House refuse collection) at Adukrom and Sawaba communities.

The objective is to improve the health status of the communities involved through an appropriate refuse management strategy, promote sustainable community based refuse management through user fee payment and generate local employment by involving indigenous residents of communities in the service delivery.

The delegation on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on Madam Patricia Appiagyei Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive at her office in Kumasi. She commended authorities of Almere city for the technical support for the past 10 years, which had resulted in some concrete projects in environmental sanitation, education and cultural exchanges. Madam Appiagyei was optimistic that the consultations would be completed to begin implementation of the two new projects in the metropolis.

Mr Peter Van der Linden, leader of the delegation said Almere city was committed in providing technical support to KMA to facilitate its development programme.

He said one of the developments in the sister-city relationship was the cultural linkage between Almere and Kumasi, adding that, a cultural exhibition on the history of Asantes was expected to be mounted in Almere next year to further boost the relationship. 11 Oct. 06