Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have been asked to implement innovative measures to increase local revenue generation to reduce their overdependence on the Central Government.

Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini, Deputy Northern Regional Minister, who made the call, challenged MMDAs to improve on mobilising internally generated funds and public financial management capacity to be able to meet the increasing developmental needs of the people.

Alhaji Fuseini was speaking in Tamale on Monday during the opening of a three-day Regional Budget Hearing for all 26 MMDAs in the region to present their composite budgets comprising their projects and expected revenues for the next financial year.

A team from the Ministry of Finance was present to scrutinize the budgets of the various MMDAs to ensure that they conformed to the guidelines approved by the Ministry.

Alhaji A. B. A. Fuseini said this became necessary in view of the fact that a large chunk of Government revenue was being used to compensate public sector employees in the form of salary leaving very little for development projects.

He, therefore, entreated the MMDAs to prepare budgets that would be in the interest of their respective assemblies to help stem the incidence of perennial budget deficits and ensure the running of a disciplined and efficient economy for the benefit of all.

He urged the MMDAs to take the street naming and property address policy seriously and make provisions for it in their budgets to ensure its completion to help boost revenue collection.

He invited private investors to invest in the local economy adding “there are more opportunities here.”

Mr Hope Dziekpor, Northern Regional Budget Officer, threw more light on the budget hearing forum saying it was also to enable the Regional Coordinating Council to make the necessary inputs to streamline the budgets of assemblies in line with the vision of the region.