The Dafiama/ Bussie/Issa (DBI) District Assembly has exceeded its estimated first quarter internal revenue of GH¢17, 084.00 by GH¢17470.60, constituting 102 per cent. Out of the estimated budget for the period, the DBI Assembly collected GH¢34, 554.00.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) of the DBI Assembly, Mr Fidelis Zumakpeh, announced this at the first ordinary meeting of the assembly at Issa last Friday. He noted that the assembly had also received GH¢151,032.94 as its share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), which it was using to tackle development projects to improve the lives of the people.
He mentioned his commitment to improve the lives of the people through agricultural development, quality education, health care and proper nutrition, and security. The DBI Assembly, with major communities and market centres, was carved out of the Nadowli-Kaleo District Assembly in 2012 with Issa as its capital.
Mr Zumakpeh mentioned some projects currently going on to provide social amenities and infrastructural development in the district as the rehabilitation of classroom blocks at Bussie, Fian and Daffiama and elimination of most schools under trees and replacing them with descent classrooms. He said they were, however, awaiting their 2011 District Development Facility (DDF).
He also announced that they had received GH¢34,965.50 for the construction of wells and feeder roads, and said very soon, the whole district would be connected to the national grid.
The DCE called on the government to approve the rates in the fee-fixing resolution for the assembly to raise revenue and spend on development projects as part of the ‘Better Government Agenda’ to develop the district.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Bede Zeideng, expressed his satisfaction that the district assembly had been able to up its efforts, which shows that the assembly possesses the natural and human resources to be self-sufficient. Mr Zeideng, thus, urged the assembly members to intensify education in their electoral areas for their people to play their civic roles effectively and pay their taxes regularly. That, he said, would enable the assembly to live up to the expectations that led to its creation.
The regional minister said under the Upper West Regional Development Strategy, the various district assemblies had identified their strategies to accelerate the region's progress. He announced that the World Bank had approved for the extension of the sustainable rural water and sanitation project to cover other five districts in the region, for which the DBI Assembly was one of the benefactors.
