Ga West chiefs, elders to collect revenue for assembly
The Ga West Municipal Assembly (GWMA), as part of its revenue mobilisation strategy, will next year engage chiefs in its jurisdiction to collect property tax, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Sam Atukwei Quaye, has said.
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“The initiative is to strengthen the decentralisation process and make it meaningful to our constituents by engaging chiefs in revenue collection, with the chiefs receiving some percentage in return, to supplement the development needs of their localities.
“Thirty per cent of the levies to be collected has been approved by the assembly for the chiefs to keep in their custody when the project is rolled out next year in some pilot communities,” he explained.
Durbar of chiefs
Mr Quaye disclosed this at a durbar of the chiefs and queenmothers of the municipality held at Asiaman, near Amasaman, last Wednesday.
The durbar, he said, was meant for him to report on the socio-economic development of the municipality in the past two years.
The assembly, he said, would build a traditional hall for chiefs where they could meet and brainstorm on development issues in their localities.
Education
On education, Mr Quaye said, “Ga West was adjudged the best in the region in the Basic Education Certificate Examination results released for the 2014/2015 academic year and 10th nationwide.”
He appealed to parents to stop their children from attending funerals, which could disturb their performance in school.
He said the assembly would soon be empowered by its bye-laws to ban expensive funerals in the municipality, explaining that money meant for those funerals could be used for productive ventures.
Other projects
On security, Mr Quaye said the Ghana Police Service had created four district police commands in Amasaman, Pokuase, Mile 7 and Kotoku, adding that a fire station had been opened to supplement the efforts to the one at Amasaman.
The assembly, he said, had constructed market sheds at Medie and Akramaman and 40 stalls each at both markets, while “work on the ground floor of a three-storey commercial centre at Amasaman is progressing”.
Other areas the MCE spoke about were development projects undertaken in health, education, water, agriculture and sanitation.