The Parliamentary Select Committee in charge of Local Government and Rural Development, with over sight responsibilities of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies MMDCEs has paid a working visit to the Upper East Region.
The eight member committee’s concern is to ascertain, the operations of the MMDCEs in the disbursement of the District Assembly common Fund (DACF), the District Development Fund (DDF), the Disability Fund, the Internal Generated Fund (IGF) and Sanitation issues.
This is to enable the committee make recommendations and forward a report to parliament for further deliberations to ensure effective and efficient use of monies release by central government to the various MMDCEs for developmental purposes.
Nine out of the fifteen Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region have been visited so far.
In an interview with GBC’s Radio Ghana the chairman of Local Government Select committee, Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, MP for Tano South indicated that on the DACF, the funds are being utilised as per the rules and regulations.
He however lamented that, findings on the Internal Generated Fund (IGF) was disappointing saying the MDAs have a lot of buildings and telecos mast that they can make enough money for the development of their various MDA yet they are waiting for DACF.
He said the Assembly receives about GH¢200,000 (Two hundred thousand Ghana cedis) a year which quite huge but they end up spending about 80 percent of their money on recurrent expenditure. That is on allowances and others and 20 percent on capital expenditure to the detriment of the people instead of varying the formula.
On the area of the disability fund, the chairman revealed that, there was no any release in 2016, it was 2017 that government disbursed the disability funds to the Assemblies and 2018 as well.
Some, he said, received about GH¢199.00 (One hundred and ninety-nine thousand Ghana cadis), while others had GH¢155,000.00 (One hundred and fifty-five thousand Ghana cedis).
Hon. Sekyere stressed that, these monies are lodged in the various assemblies accounts, not being disbursed yet there are a piled of names of persons with disabilities PWDs in need of the monies.
The Assemblies, he said, claimed they are waiting for the PWDs to apply before and that some have applied but they have not been able to set on it. The Honorable Member of Parliament said that, the DF is for building the capacity of PWDs such as giving PWDs skills training with start-up kits, acquiring them ruminants for rearing and not to be giving stipends for feeding.
The idea he said is for them to grow and be self-reliant.
He expressed worry on the health of people, regarding sanitation in some MDAs where human excreta were siphoned from septic and apply directly on the farms to grow water million and other vegetables for consumption.
A member of the committee and MP for Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem KEEA, Samuel Atta Mills in the Central region, stated that, in some of the MDAs, there are a lot of management problems, some people are holding positions they do not have the requisite knowledge.
Story by: GBC’s Emmanuel Akayeti
