Regional News of Monday, 6 April 2020

Source: GNA

Hohoe Municipal Assembly mobilized over GH¢ 1million in 2019

Andrews Teddy Ofori, Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive Andrews Teddy Ofori, Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive

The Hohoe Municipal Assembly in the Volta Region has mobilized GH¢ 1,183,572.01 as Internally Generated Fund (IGF) for the year 2019.

The amount, which was raised out of the total projected figure of GH¢1,288,719, fell short of the 2018 performance by 102 per cent.

Mr Andrews Teddy Ofori, the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) who made this known in his sessional address during the first ordinary meeting of the eighth Assembly’s first session said the financial health of the Assembly in 2019 was good.

He said management had taken steps to augment revenue mobilization, which included the recruitment of 15 new commission revenue collectors, setting targets for collectors, timely distribution demand notices and effective resourcing of revenue collectors.

Mr Ofori called on all Assembly members to compliment efforts of the Assembly by educating the citizenry in their electoral areas about their obligations to pay levies and obligations of the Assembly towards them.

The MCE said arrangements were underway to inaugurate the Assembly’s zonal councils and unit committees as well as constitute membership to the councils to enable them contribute their quota to the development of their areas.

He said the Assembly in order to resource Zonal Councils, had procured and distributed a number of laptops and printers from its share of District Development Facility (DDF) capacity grant to functioning councils to enhance their works.

Mr Ofori said the Assembly had projected to receive an amount of GH¢3,779,504 as its District Assembly’s Common Fund (DACF) allocation for 2019 and GH¢339,407.68 of MP’s Constituency Development Fund, which were applied in accordance of the DACF guidelines and Assembly’s approved Development Plan and providing support for various communities-initiated projects such scholarships for brilliant and needy students.

He said the annual revenue estimate of the Assembly for 2019 was GH¢20,825,524 and out of which an amount of GH¢ 5,890,309 representing 28.28 was received, adding that, an amount of GH¢30,541,036 had already been approved as its budgeted revenue while management was awaiting the indicative allocation of the DACF for 2020 to finalize its supplementary budget.

Mr Ofori said other sources of funds received by the Assembly in 2019 included District Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT)-GH¢ 1,342,312, Persons With Disability- GH¢ 252,129, Ghana Secondary Cities Support- GH¢257,002 and other supports amounting to GH¢ 894,964.

The MCE said the Assembly had also qualified to benefit from $1,500,000 grant under the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP) for a five-year period with the objective of the programme being financing urban infrastructure and services as well as strengthening urban management systems.