BAWKU WEST IMPROVES REVENUE GENERATION (PAGE 22, JAN 9, 2010)

The Bawku West District Assembly has made tremendous improvements in the generation of funds internally since the last sitting of the assembly.
From a mere GH¢200.00, representing 22.2 per cent of collection level as at the end of September last year, the assembly was able to increase its collection level to GH¢83, 236.96, representing 73.32 per cent.
The District Chief Executive for Bawku West, Mr Anabah Adam Moro, who announced this at the third ordinary meeting of the fifth session of the assembly, said the situation meant that GH¢ 50,036.93 was mobilised within a spate of two-and-a-half months.
He explained that the enviable feat was achieved through vigorous and massive campaigns and an aggressive mobilisation by revenue task force, the finance office and debt collecting contractors as well as the entire secretariat staff of the assembly.
Mr Moro commended all those who contributed directly and indirectly to the successes chalked up, and urged all assembly members to intensify their efforts in the quest to boost the development of the district.
Touching on some development projects in the district, Mr Moro said the issue of student sponsorship still lingered on, and that although the assembly had set aside GH¢20,000.00 for students sponsorship in its 2009 supplementary budget, it had paid over GH¢29,000.00, above what was budgeted for.
On the assembly’s sub-committees, the DCE said the continuous existence and operation of all 11 sub-committee was bringing untold financial burden on the assembly.
“In this year’s annual budget, GH¢5,300 was allocated for sitting allowances. However, the assembly had already spent GH¢22,458 on sitting allowances this year.”
According to the DCE, the situation could not be allowed to continue, considering the current system of assessing the performance of assemblies under the Functional Organisational Assessment Tool (FOAT). He, therefore, recommended that the non- statutory sub-committee be reduced.
On security, the DCE said there had been a few reported cases of robbery in the district over the period, and commended security agencies for clamping down on the activities of criminal elements within society.
He requested the assembly members to encourage their electorate to inform the security agencies of any criminal activities detected and not to take the law into their own hands.
The Presiding Member (PM) of the assembly, Mr Moses Aduk-Pam, supported calls for the reduction of the number of sub-committees in the assembly from 11 to seven, since savings made could go into more development projects and the payment of improved sitting allowances for assembly members.
Mr Aduk-Pam also cautioned that if it came to the notice of the assembly that revenue collectors had pocketed the revenue collected, the general assembly would not hesitate to call on management to make the culprits account for their stewardship and possibly face sanctions.
“Just as we will punish lazy ones and cheats, we would also reward the hardworking revenue collectors,” the PM said.