The Twifo-Heman-Lower-Denkyira District Assembly collected a total of 585 million cedis, representing 96 per cent of the 607 million cedis internally generated revenue it targeted last year.

Mr Abraham Odoom, District Chief Executive, announced this at the first ordinary meeting of the second session of the fourth assembly at Twifo Praso on Friday.

He told the assembly that although the amount collected was encouraging, more needed to be done to increase the assembly's finances to enable it to meet its "escalating bills".

Mr Odoom said the assembly had received one billion cedis from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) relief fund and 503 million cedis as its share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF).

The DCE said the assembly had since his assumption of office, embarked on numerous projects and programmes to help improve education, health, agriculture and the private sectors.

It had spent 458 million cedis to support community-initiated projects on education, health, electrification, sanitation and provision of potable water.

The DCE reiterated the need for unity among the assembly members adding; "we can develop our district only when we are united." He, therefore, entreated them to eschew partisan politics and see themselves as one people with a common destiny.

He appealed to the chiefs to help settle all such disputes amicably to ensure peace, adding that even though the assembly would not meddle in chieftaincy affairs, it would not look on unconcerned because such disputes hampered development.

The Reverend Ben Donkor, Presiding Member, said the assembly had declared the year 2003 as a year of action and called on members to be proactive and exercise circumspection in their work.