Insufficient Common Fund limits development in Ho Municipal Area – MCE
The Ho Municipal Assembly’s net receipt of GH¢398,384.28 from the District Assemblies Common Fund in 2011 was insufficient “for any meaningful development programmes and projects.”
Mr Isaac Kodobisah, Municipal Chief Executive said this at the Assembly’s Ordinary Meeting in Ho on Thursday.
The “Ho Municipal Assembly had comparatively unfair deal, taking into consideration that the Municipality has two constituencies with a very large rural setting” but “treated on the same bases as other one-town municipalities.”
Mr Kodobisah said the Assembly executed a total of five projects with its Common Fund.
These included renovation of a slaughter house, construction of septic tank, the re-enforcing of a concrete poly-tank support at the Jubilee Park, renovation and conversion of urinals into Water-Closet toilet and bath houses at the Central Market, all in Ho.
Mr Kodobisah said the situation challenged the Assembly to mobilize sufficient funds internally to meet “the huge financial challenges.”
He said more than 218 projects were executed in the Municipal area under different funding arrangements and policy initiatives in the last three years.
These were in the health, education, rural water and sanitation, roads and commercial sectors.
The rest were Information Communication Technology (ICT) centres, street lighting and youth employment projects.
He said a total of 47 projects were undertaken at the basic school level over the period; 24 projects in 2010-2011 and 23 projects from 2011-2012.
At the Senior High School level, a total of 43 projects were undertaken to improve on facilities while 14 others were executed under the Urban Poverty Reduction Project (UPRP).
Mr Kodobisah said 34 major and minor roads in the municipal area have seen improvement between 2010 and 2012.
He said 42 kilometres of street lights were also completed in the Ho Municipality, adding that, “The Assembly also supplied more than 250 streetlights to some communities across the municipality for street lighting” with more such lights planned for 2012.
Mr Kodobisah said the seemingly delayed Ho Central market project under the Ghana Urban Management Pilot Project GUMPP “is well on course and would meet the deadline.”
On education and sports, Mr Kodobisah said the Assembly collected GH¢21,251.50 in education levy as at the end of November 2011, out of which GH¢17,000 was given to the Municipal Education Directorate to conduct the 2011 “common exams” for basic schools.
He said 37 schools are benefitting from the School Feeding Programme in the Municipal area with 4,800 school uniforms distributed to basic schools in 2011.
The Assembly has meanwhile presented 10 haemoglobinometers worth GH¢5,000.00 to the Municipal Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service.
The gadgets would be given to health facilities in the municipal area to check blood levels of patients, adding that, it formed part of the promises made by the Assembly towards improving maternal health delivery.
Source: GNA