News:
October 1, 2013
Mr Cletus Avoka, Member of Parliament for the Zebila Constituency in the Upper East region has charged the Bawku West District Assembly to hold all the mandatory meetings that the assembly ought to hold in a year.
This he noted will enable the assembly to access finances from the District Development Fund and funds from other donor partners for the execution of projects.
Mr Avoka who is also a former Majority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament, threw the charge to the assembly in an address he delivered at the first Ordinary Meeting of the Nineth Session of the Assembly last Friday.
He observed that the unfortunate fire outbreaks the country experienced over the past few months coupled with the energy crisis hindered government’s development efforts and programmes.
In addition to this was the Supreme Court hearing of the 2012 election petition which caused especially many foreign investors to hold back their capital owing to the then uncertainties as to the fate of Ghana after the verdict.
Mr. Avoka said this notwithstanding; the John Dramani Mahama administration did all it could under the circumstances to put Ghana at her present level of development and called on all especially, those in decision making positions such as the assembly members, to assist government’s development agenda now that the election petition had been done with.
He appealed to the Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru to ensure that before his leaves office, the Bolgatanga-Bawku road was tarred stressing that the road was dear to the President and commuters who travel between the two cities while asking further that, roads in the Zebila township equally need tarring.
Addressing the house in his capacity as Acting DCE, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru noted that the time had come for assembly members to assist management of the District Assembly to find new ways of generating revenue instead of the over-reliance on the District Assemblies’ Fund whose disbursement often takes a long time to come.
He disclosed that government was awaiting the release of about 20 million US Dollars from the Africa Development Bank which would be pumped into the Bolgatanga-Bawku road to ensure its quick completion. He however warned local contractors who lack the requisite equipment and know-how in road construction to stay off any tendering processes for a serious road project like the Bolgatanga-Bawku road.
The Regional Minister also entreated the assembly members to show keen interest in the street naming and property numbering exercise which is on course so as to assist the institutions mandated with this assignment to produce excellent results adding that a proper street naming can improve the revenue collection efforts of the assembly and other revenue agencies of state.
ISD