By James Esuon
Agona Swedru (C/R), Aug 8, GNA – The Agona West Municipal Assembly has made strides in its revenue mobilisation as part of efforts to improve the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) for 2023.
As at the end of May, 2023, it was able to collect GHc750, 280.47 out of an estimated annual budget of GHc2,385, 045.
The Management said the Assembly was committed to ensuring that it met revenue targets by the end of the year under review.
Mr Evans Addison Onomah Coleman, the Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, made this known when he addressed the first ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the Eight Assembly at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.
He said the collection of property rates, which was the major revenue item of the Assembly, had been taken over by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and that had adversely affected the Assembly’s revenue.
The Assembly received GHc323,250 .94 as it share of the District Assemblies Common Fund for the fourth quarter, 2022, which was expended on various projects and programmes it undertook the previous year.
The projects included the construction of 40-seater open market stalls at Lower Bobikuma, construction of three-bedroom apartment for medical doctors at Agona Swedru and completion of an office complex for the Assembly.
Mr Coleman said the Assembly had begun procurement processes for Urban Development Grant (UDG) for three projects of the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP).
It intended to construct a three-story 60 lockable shops at the Mandela Market and upgrade the Otabilkrom road with double seal bituminous surfacing.
The two projects meant for Agona Swedru were to improve the local economy, Mr Coleman said.
‘’To promote oil palm cultivation as an alternative to cocoa in the municipality, the Assembly, through the Department of Agriculture, continues with the distribution of oil palm seedlings to farmers,” he said.
A total of 28,988 oil palm seedlings have been distributed to 67 farmers in the first half of the year, bringing the total of the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) seedlings distributed to 213, 988.
A total of 3, 464 coconut seedlings were distributed under the PERD within the first year making up to a total of 14,600 seedlings provided to farmers in the Municipality.
On security, the MCE commended the security agencies for their efforts in maintaining the peace and assured that the Assembly would support them with some logistics to help combat crime.
GNA