General News of Tuesday, 30 July 2002

Source: gna

AMA Increases Revenue By 30%

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) collected 26.6 billion cedis from its traditional sources of revenue in 2001, a 30 per cent increase over 2000, even though fees, rates and other charges were not raised.

The AMA Chief Executive, Mr Solomon Ofei Darko, in an interview with the GNA said the increase was the result of measures to ensure efficiency in revenue collection.

He said the various town council areas would be assigned to private companies for the collection of rates, fees and licenses for the Assembly.

The Chief Executive said a digital mapping for property identification and re-valuation of property was being done to ensure sanity and orderly development in the city.

Efforts would be made to overhaul the issuance of permits for physical development by ensuring co-operation between the Metro Works and Town and

Country Planning Department to eliminate delays, he said.

Mr Charles Parker-Allotey, AMA Public Relations Officer also said, work was to start soon to solve the problem of flooding in Accra with a French grant of five million dollars.

He said primary drains would be rehabilitated and desilted with 3.2 billion cedis while the French government had also pledged 11 million dollars for a similar purpose.

Mr Parker-Allotey said inter urban transport terminals would be located on the outskirts to decongest the city. He added that, four areas had been identified

at Achimota as the northern exit, Spintex road for the eastern exit, Secaps hotel area for the north-eastern exit and Kaneshie or Weija for the western exit.

The Tudu lorry station in Accra Central would be used temporarily by hawkers to decongest the city, the Neoplan station developed into a modern inter urban terminal and the Circle station converted into a hawkers mall.

He said the station near the GNA and Diamond House would be turned into a garden canteen for civil and public servants.