The Ranking Member of the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has urged metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to invest in the development of tourist attractions in their respective areas to generate more revenue in order to reduce their dependence on central government funding.
He said today’s assemblies received substantial financial allocations from the government which could be leveraged to develop tourism and other income-generating activities.
“It is important you put some of the money into some income-generating activities to promote tourism, which is a very big area that develops and rakes in a lot of money,” he said.
Think outside the box
Speaking at a public hearing in Parliament last Wednesday, Mr Acquah said it was time for assemblies to identify economically viable projects, monetise their attractions and use the proceeds to improve their internally generated funds (IGF).
“So, let us spend some time to think outside the box and stop depending on national government, which has a lot of responsibilities.
“Now you have a lot of money that comes to you, and you can even do public-private partnerships by finding somebody who can develop the tourist attraction to help you rake in some more money,” he said.
Mr Acquah gave the advice when he asked the Chief Executive of the Sissala West District, Abudu Fuseini Gbene, and other officials of the assembly, who had appeared before the committee, what they were doing to promote tourism in the district to raise funds.
During the interaction, he questioned why the district had not invested adequately in developing and maintaining the sites to attract visitors and generate revenue.
“When I have travelled to come and see the grave of the former President, I will eat and I will definitely sleep.
“It is not for nothing that Ghana’s third President came from this place, and insisted that his body be brought back home after his death. So, let us make the most of this legacy.
“Ghana benefitted from his leadership while he was alive, and your district must also benefit from his legacy now that he is gone,” he said.
He, therefore, urged the assembly to look beyond its financial constraints and consider alternative arrangements that could attract private capital to develop the sites.
Lack of resources
Responding, the DCE said the Sissala West District was one of the tourist destinations in the Upper West Region.
He cited the Golu Slave Defence Wall and the tomb of Dr Hilla Limann, a former President of the Third Republic of Ghana, as nationally recognised tourist attractions.
He said some private developers had recently visited the district to assess projects under Agenda 111, during which he made proposals concerning other areas of development, including tourism.
“I personally took him to the Golu Slave Defence Wall, the tomb of Dr Limann and other sectors.
“And since then, the engagement with those developers has intensified, and I am very convinced that something will come out of it,” he said.
Asked why the assembly had not invested in developing the tourist attractions to make them more income-generating, the DCE said the challenge was limited resources.
“I must say that it is sad to mention that it has to do with limited resources but it is an area that I personally think that, as a district and as a government at the national level, we have to pay much interest,” he said.
