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The Agona East District Assembly members unanimously approved a budget of 8.8 million GHc for 2021 to ensure the effective execution of planned development policies and programs.
Of the figure, ¢ 421,328.16 would be from the Internally Generated Fund of the Assembly (IGF), ¢ 1,936,756.29 from the government ¢ 4.9 million from the Common Fund of District Assemblies and the rest of the development partners.
This was announced at the second ordinary meeting of the Assembly in Agona Nsaba to approve the budget to accelerate the implementation of the Assembly’s policies and programs.
Agona East District Executive Director (DCE) Dennis Armah-Frempong urged members to approve the budget to allow the Finance Ministry to add it to the national budget for the first quarter of 2021.
He stated that the approved budget would cover the remodeling of secondary roads, health, education, the supply of drinking water and stimulate the concept of local government to improve the decentralization of quality.
Mr. Armah-Frempong said that the Assembly would receive over GHc1.34 million from the District Development Fund (DDF), a World Bank grant, awarded to District Assemblies on the basis of effective operations annually.
He said that ¢ 103,954 would also be received from donor partners to support the Assembly in the development of its development plans for next year to improve people’s quality of life.
Mr. Armah-Frempong said that the Assembly would also receive a total of ¢ 4.99 million as part of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) that would come from the Central Government to help the Assembly undertake projects.
He said the Assembly scored 99 percent after a performance evaluation conducted by a team of local government experts from the Finance Ministry and the Regional Coordination Council.
The DCE commended the district finance team, led by Mr. Maurice Bortsie, for working with a team from local government, the Ministry of Finance and the Regional Coordinating Council, to carry out an audit on its financial performance.
The district’s coordinating director, Rahim Musah, said the Assembly’s traditional revenue collection for 2020 was hit hard by the new coronavirus pandemic that hit the country in March this year.
He said Assembly revenue staff found it difficult to collect tolls and property fees.
Alhaji Musah said that the Assembly was in the process of identifying all the tourist sites in the district to allow the Assembly to generate more revenue to improve the IGF.
He said that the Assembly had decided to empower Assembly members to collaborate with chiefs and landowners to help the Assembly develop all tourist sites.
Alhaji Musah added that the Area Councils were to be authorized by the Assembly to manage all tourist sites and therefore the Assembly would cede the revenue collection to the Councils to get more revenue for it.
Agona East and Adontenhene District Assembly Presiding Member (PM) of Agona Asafo, Nana Kwao Ponsi II, urged members to educate people in their various communities to appreciate the importance of paying taxes.
He commended the Assembly for the excellent work that was done to secure the District Development fund for the Assembly three times in a row, thus improving the financial situation.
