Benjamin Kpodo
The Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament has castigated the government for illegally apportioning to itself an amount of GH¢724,799,985 out of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) legally appropriated by Parliament for development projects by the assemblies.
The minority indicated that out of the GH¢905,999,982 approved by Parliament in March, this year for the 254 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), GH¢724,799,985, constituting 80 percent, has been redirected for the funding of the Nations Builders Corps, School Feeding and Planting for Food and Jobs programmes.
“Instead of each assembly averagely receiving GH¢3.6 million for its developmental projects, it’s now going to get a meagre GH¢713,385 for its development programmes for the 2018 fiscal year,” it stated.
The minority made these known at a press conference in Parliament yesterday after the first deputy minority chief whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, raised the issue on the floor of parliament on Thursday.
This compelled the Second Deputy Speaker, Alban Bagbin, who was presiding to invite the Administrator of the DACF to come and explain to parliament what led to the alleged changes in the formula approved by Parliament.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Ho Central and deputy ranking of the Local Government Committee of parliament, Benjamin Kpodo, who addressed the press conference, said that the MMDAs are currently struggling as a result of the capping of the Common Fund and that the new directive by the government for the MMDAs to redirect 80 percent of the Common Fund for the funding of the govevrnment’s flagship programmes is not only illegal but disrespect to parliament as an institution which approved the original formula.
“The above directive was not contained in the approved formula for disbursement of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for 2018, that means it does not meet the legal requirements for the application of the DACF. Indeed, it’s being done on the blind side of Parliament,” he said.
The Minority pointed out that MMDAs are being deprived of the necessary funds to implement their localized development projects which they had already incorporated in their budgets.
The new directive from government will weaken the assemblies and derail the decentralization process in the country, it added.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr