Apam (C/R), Nov. 25, GNA – The Gomoa West District Assembly has started arrangement with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to collect property rates on its behalf to help generate enough funds to supplement its share of the Common Fund for continuous development.
Mr Bismark Baisie Nkum, Gomoa West District Chief Executive (DCE), gave the hint in an address at the Assembly’s meeting at Apam.
The address, which covered the district’s modest achievements in the last five months, challenges and the way forward, also enabled the house to approve the Executive Committee’s recommendation including its Composite Budget, Fee Fixing Resolution and Action Plan for 2023 which would be used as a working document.
The DCE stated that the move was in accordance with the National Budget Estimates and Appropriation Act 2022, directing Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to cede the collection of property Rate to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the details about the arrangement was expected to be communicated to them in due course.
On the performance of its Internally Generated Funds (IGF), Mr Nkum stated that, the Assembly in 2021 budgeted GH¢803, 144.71 and collected GH¢664, 279.90 by August that year, representing 82.71 per cent compared to its 2022 estimated IGF of GH¢850, 000.00 of which GH¢516, 207.15 representing 60.73 per cent had been collected by August.
According to him, the above statistics showed clearly that, revenue generation had declined and as a result, the house must strategise in the collection of the IGF to supplement the Common Fund and others for developmental projects in the district.
He, therefore, appealed to the Assembly members to continue to educate their community members to honour their tax obligations.
On child trafficking, Mr Nkum informed them that Gomoa West was gaining notoriety in that area and mentioned an incident in Gomoa Dago that led to the arrest of four elderly people from the town at Half-Assni for allegedly attempting to traffic some children from Dago to Cote d’Ivoire.
The case, he stated was currently on going in the law court while some of the rescued children were under a shelter at Winneba.
He said, this was tarnishing the reputation of the district and as a result the Assembly, Chiefs, Queen Mothers and all the stakeholders in the grooming of the children in the area must join the fight against the menace in the district.
On its achievements, the DCE said the Agric sector was doing well in the Area and that 6,220 farmers made up of 4,115 males and 2,105 females harvested their crops with good yields in the major farming season in the district.
It also in the first quarter of the year, schooled 1,650 farmers on the Planting for Food and Jobs module.
Under the Planning for Export and Rural Development (PERD), he revealed that the Assembly was on course to achieving its target of distributing 1,000,000 improved Seedlings to farmers within 10 years.
He said, in addition, a total of 37,000 improved certified seedlings the Assembly had been supplied to farmers in the last five months aimed at helping beneficiary farmers to promote rural economic growth and improve their household income and access to quality Extension Services.
He further announced that an Apprenticeship Programme dubbed; ‘Apprenticeship-To-Entrepreneur’ module under the Business Advisory Center, that seeks to give skill training to the youth, had within the last five months, enrolled 140 youth to learn dressmaking, hairdressing, general electricals, steel bending, catering services, auto electricals and upholstery.
According to Mr Nkum, 34 out of the beneficiaries of the programme have successfully undertaken the National Vocational Training Institute examination and have received start-up kits to establish their businesses.
On education: he assured that, by the time his tenure of office came to an end, all the communities in the district would have at least one-unit classroom block and possibly teachers’ quarters to enhance effective teaching and learning in the district.
On provision of education infrastructure, he noted that projects including a one 3-unit classroom block at Appiakrom Debiso and one six-unit teachers’ quarters at Gomoa Mankoadze, were on-going.
He added that the Assembly distributed 1,000 mono desks to some basic schools in the district, sponsored one mock examination for final year students to prepare them for the just ended Basic Education Certificate Examination, and expressed the hope that the students will make the district proud with excellent performance.
Source: Ghana News Agency
