Dr. Nana Ato Arthur
The head of Local Government Service, Dr. Nana Ato Arthur, has hinted that the government would promote ICT to improve revenue mobilization in the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
According to him, the government would embark on a crusade to ensure that Digital Mapping System is embraced by the MMDAs to improve revenue source identification and collection.
He indicated that most assemblies have huge potentials to improve their revenue generation and therefore, reduce their over-reliance on the central government’s subventions to finance their development projects.
Dr. Nana Ato Arthur said that revenue could be maximized if the MMDAs adopted ICT strategies to facilitate identification of properties and revenue sources.
He stated that basic directions would be provided to the business community to the various districts, which would help to implement government’s policy of ‘One District, One Factory.’
During his familiarization tour of Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, he re-echoed the need for emphasis to be placed on the six service delivery standards.
He stated that as role models for the general working population and staff, there was the need to allow those standards not only to permeate their values, but also be solid guiding force and principle in their service delivery.
“Let us have a change of attitude and work with utmost dedication and commitment for the rest of the staff in our MMDAs to emulate,” he enjoined.
He noted that it is necessary that organizations and institutions build the capacity of their staff and strengthen structures to deal with excessive bureaucracy in their line of duty.
Dr. Ato Arthur said he would give priority to the development of staff to equip them with all the skills they need to handle challenges in the performance of their duties.
He revealed that a capacity building framework had therefore been designed to that effect at the district, regional and national levels and therefore called on all workers to take advantage when it is rolled out fully.
Dr. Ato Arthur admonished the frontline staffers to be abreast with the new provisions in the Local Government Act (Act 936), especially with regional level inter-service and inter-sectoral collaboration and co-operation.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale