Henry Quartey
All too soon the hullabaloo about the nomination and endorsement or otherwise of the MMDCEs has been put at the back of the country.
The noise and the instances of confusion which greeted the process in some places left a sour taste in the mouths of observing Ghanaians.
For such persons the negative side attractions could have been obviated had the election of the officers been allowed to be. They would rather as a people we rethink the process of picking heads of the MMDAs. Some prefer the status quo the negative attributes of it notwithstanding.
With so much water having passed under the bridge it could make some sense if we returned to the drawing board once more for a discussion about the subject.
Be it as it may, the swearing into office of the officials who represent the President in their localities has taken place already and in the Greater Accra Region a budget hearing of the MMDAs has taken place.
For us the remarks of the Greater Accra Regional Minister Henry Quartey when he delivered an address to set the tone for the budget hearing were significant.
Although he directed his remarks at MMDAs in the Greater Accra Region the phenomenon is a countrywide reality.
That the MMDAs are not doing enough to keep themselves financially buoyant is telling the truth, bluntly.
We can only join the minister in pointing out that the assemblies are not faring well in their ability to rake in more revenues and this is a major factor in their non-performance. Opportunities have been created by law for them to internally generate funds to address the many roles they are expected to play in their areas of jurisdiction.
So vast are the revenue raking opportunities that it is amazing that many of the assemblies in the Greater Accra Region do not meet their targets and even long for the support of central government.
Should there be delays in interventions such assemblies suffer disruptions in their programmes a fact which should not be the case.
Property rates, taxes from certain categories of businesses are some of the sources of revenue for the assemblies. It is not indisputable fact and as the regional minister observed, the inefficiencies are hampering the ability of the MMDAs to be financially sound because the internally generated funds are not flowing in as they should.
The MMDCEs should as a matter of urgency look at this deficiency with a view to reversing the trend.
It is not about the glee of office but the ability to raise funds from the legally laid out sources with a view to developing their areas of jurisdiction.
As they take their new offices or continuing as the case may be, let them consider being effective in the area of garnering enough internally generated funds.