TaMA to wean itself off Common Fund
The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) is to wean itself off the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) by ensuring that it creates adequate internally generated funds (IGF) for development purposes in the years ahead.
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Additionally, a more comprehensive investment policy will be drawn up to create a congenial atmosphere to attract hundreds of private investors to create more jobs for the youth in the metropolis.
The new Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Hanan Abdul-Rahman, outlined this vision when he called on some chiefs in Tamale to introduce himself to them and to court their support in the administration of the metropolis.
The chiefs are the Dakpema, Mohammed Alhassan Dawuni; the Lamashegu Chief, Alhaji Abdulai Ziblim; the Bogu-Lana, Abdul Rahman Alhassan, and the Choggu Chief, Yakubu Iddrisu Nayi.
The MCE explained that in recent times it had become very difficult for assemblies to meet their development targets, as they continued to depend heavily on the DACF. He said in order to avoid such a situation, he was determined to ensure that the assembly generated more money from its IGFs to accelerate development in the metropolis.
"The assembly has a lot of properties to enable it to generate local revenue. What is needed now is for us to ensure proper valuation of those properties to know the amount of money the assembly can raise from those properties," he stressed.
According to Mr Abdul-Rahman, when residents become aware that the funds they pay, for instance, as property taxes are being used judiciously, they would not evade taxes but would rather support the assembly to carry out its development agenda.
The MCE noted that the underlying factor to the achievement of his vision for the metropolis was the need to promote peace and unity. He intimated that there was the need to also spread out development in the metropolis and the Central Business District (CBD) had become congested, which must be avoided.
He stated that the strategic location of the metropolis demanded that the area attracted the needed investment.
Touching on sanitation, the MCE said there was the need for the assembly to come out with a programme that would help change the attitude of people.
Mr Abdul-Rahman, therefore, called on the chiefs to support him to be able to make Tamale a safe haven for investment.
In their response, the chiefs pledged their support for the new MCE and entreated him to operate an open-door policy for the accelerated development of the area.
They also urged him to focus on the promotion of peace, unity and the creation of jobs for the teeming unemployed youth, as well as improvement in the education sector. They identified the need for the various assembly members to constantly be in touch with the people to know their development challenges and highlight them during assembly meetings.
By Vincent Amenuveve/Daily Graphic/Ghana
