FANTEAKWA ASSEMBLY IMPROVES REVENUE (PAGE 15, OCT 7)

THE Fanteakwa District Assembly in the Eastern Region as of the end of August 31, 2009, collected GH¢203,018.44 out of the projected GH¢108, 420.00 revenue for 2009.
The amount represented 185.54 per cent of the projected revenue for this year.
The District Chief Executive for the area, Mr Abass Fuseini Sbaaba, who disclosed this at the assembly meeting on Friday at Begoro, attributed the impressive financial performance of the assembly to a number of prudent measures which had been instituted.
He mentioned the use of consultants and a revenue task force and regular meetings of management with revenue collectors during which strategies to improve performance were adopted and effectively implemented.
Others included the preparation of database on all businesses in the district.
To sustain and further improve on the gains made, the DCE gave the assurance that the assembly would continue to adopt and implement measures that would improve its revenue base.
To this end, he called for motivation for revenue collectors whose hard work immensely contributed to the financial success of the assembly.
“The assembly must motivate revenue collectors and the general labour force by way of instituting best worker awards,” he said.
“Those revenue collectors whose non-performance did not contribute to the success of the assembly’s revenue base should not be allowed to take the same monthly salary as those who performed creditably,” the DCE emphasised.
Mr Sbaaba said under the District Development Fund, the district had been allocated US$482,000 to support its development budget for 2009.
“Out of this amount, $460,000 is for development projects while the US$22,000 is for capacity building,” the DCE added.
On development projects, Mr Sbaaba said the assembly had acquired a (GH¢25,000) grader on a hire purchase to be paid for within three years to be used to improve the road network in the area to facilitate the movement of the people and goods.
He added that under the Millennium Development Authority facility, a number of educational projects had been approved for execution in the district.
They included the construction of 14 two-unit classroom blocks, four three-unit classroom blocks and two four-unit teachers’ bungalow.
The DCE further said since information communication technology (ICT) was relevant to the development of the area, the assembly would soon establish ICT centres in five basic schools, two at Begoro and one each at Ahomahomasu, Bosuso and Osino, adding that each of the centres would be equipped with 10 computers and accessories.
“To make the centres very effective, beneficiaries of the National Youth Employment Programme will be selected and trained to assist in the management of the centres,” he added.