PIX: Dan Botwe, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development looking at some documents presented to him by the Kumasi Mayor, Sam Pyne during his visit to the Assembly to ascertain work they had done over the period. With him are Messers OB Amoah and Augustine Ntim, Deputy local government ministers

Story:

KUMASI MAYOR, Sam Pyne, has assured the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) would live up to its mandate in bringing the required developments to the metropolis.

He noted that currently the Assembly uses 70% of its revenue to tackle sanitation and waste issues.

This, he said was a setback to the Assembly in having enough to deal with other pressing matters at hand and others in other departments.

“Every revenue we collect we use 70% to deal with our sanitation and waste issues but we are committed to looking for innovative strategies that would help us get additional revenue to deal with other needful projects for the benefit of the people of Kumasi”, the Mayor stressed.

Minister:

Earlier, Hon Dan Kwaku Botwe, MP for Okere and Minister for Local Government and Rural Development asked the KMA to come up with more human centered projects.

This, he noted would make residents to personally identify with same, adding that it will cause them to willingly pay their tolls and taxes to the state.

The Minister said the KMA having taken down a comprehensive data for businesses and companies could leverage on same to collect taxes due it for development purposes.

“I believe when people in our communities see that government through the KMA is undertaking basic projects they can relate to same and therefore no one would be needed to force them to pay tolls and taxes because they would know that what they pay would go into more project development”, the Minister stated.

Head Of Local Gov’t Services:

On his part, ING Dr Nana Ato Arthur, Head of Local Government Services (LGS) at the Local Government Ministry asked KMA to use its enormous potentials to cause development in the metropolis.

He noted that the service would want to see more of the impact of KMA in 2023 than previously.

Nana Ato Arthur announced that the service would cause many transfers at the KMA to make optimum use of persons who had stayed long and have institutional memory to help other Assemblies across the country.

“Be ready for transfers because other communities must benefit from your experiences and do not see what is going to happen this year as punishment because you cannot be sitting at one place for 20 or 30 years and surely I will move you around”, the LGS head stated firmly.

BY Michael Ofosu-Afriyie 

Kumasi