The District Assembly concept structured to be the local representative of the local government at the grassroots is under threat. The central government oversight responsibility is delimitating the grassroots primary role in addressing the needs of the people at the local level is under threat.
The president of the Chamber for Local Governance Dr. Richard Fiadomor said this on Adekye Mu Nsem on Ahotor 92.3 FM morning show hosted by Citizen Kofi Owusu.
He is of the view that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) president, the sector minister, and the minister of finance, financial arrangement, and with District Assembly Common Fund Director, role in disbursing funds to the assemblies in the country is always in areas.
Above all the capping of the district assembly common fund for the past seven years is affecting the assemblies’ role in carrying out developments at the local level.
He is of the view that, the havoc caused by the spillage from the Akosombo Dam early warning system plan and the evacuation plan failed as a result of the Volta River Authority, involvement of the assemblies who are the true representative of the people in all our communities, rather the VRA employ the National Disaster Management (NADMO) which infect does not have any administrative role in the assemblies.
He reiterated that the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority’s role in outsourcing the property rate revenue collection to Digital Solutions on a commission rate of 10% is very unfortunate.
He said according to Article 9:36, the law does not allow the GRA, to carry out this exercise and he therefore called on parliament to step in to correct this impunity going on discouraging the assembly from making enough money from their internal generating fund.
Speaking on the same program, the local government expert Amon Issaka Kotei said the District Assemblies are facing a lot of challenges in addressing their primary role in the district, such as sanitation and other basic thing in their business districts.
He is of the view that the economic activity of the lake is to provide electricity and protect the communities along the river downstream. The new development along the Volta Lake coupled with hospitality activities has encroached on the waterway, which he thinks has caused a lot of havoc through the spillage from the dam.
He reiterated that the assemblies along the flooding communities are under resource to solve these major problems confronting the communities. Amon Kotei calls on the VRA as a matter of urgency to dredge the Volta basin to allow the spillage water to have access to the sea.
Story by: AYM Kukah. E: mail. kukagalexander7@gmail.com / Ahotoronline.com
