Mrs Elizabeth Sackey, Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, has warned revenue collectors to be transparent in the discharge of their duties, saying “staff caught in corrupt practices would be dealt with according to the law”.
Mrs Sackey, therefore, implored the staff of revenue collecting agencies to serve as state financial watchdogs and report any wrongdoing or financial leakages to the respective authorities to ensure accountability as far as revenue mobilization was concerned.
The Deputy Minister gave the warning when she paid a working visit to the Ada East District Assembly to acquaint herself with their operations and chart the way forward in the development of the community.
She noted that some of the financial leakages within the Assemblies could have been saved and used for important projects or pay contract staff but due to individuals’ parochial interest, the Assembly was denied those financial inflows.
Mrs Sackey, therefore, tasked the Assemblies to adopt holistic anti-leakage mechanisms to ward off corruption and save the public purse from embezzlement, and urged the staff to unite and work as a team to uplift the image of the Ada East assembly.
Focusing on the state of the Ada East District Assembly, the Deputy Regional Minister expressed concern about its deplorable state, and reminded them that it was their duty to initiate development before seeking government support.
She said the government alone cannot spearhead development issues, especially at the local level and tasked the Assemblies to be pro-active and lead in basic projects which do not require heavy capital to transform the communities.
She urged the staff to work diligently and think of the nation’s interest devoid of political affiliations to pave the way for development within the district.
Mrs Sackey cautioned indisciplined staff who come to work at their own will without due recourse to time, stating that the Assembly would soon introduce a clock-in system to curtail that challenge to enhance productivity.
According to the Deputy Minister,” encouraged the staff to think outside the box, be innovative and support plans or programmes of management. If you are productive, there is always work beyond your normal schedule, exploit these ventures.
“Laziness does not build a nation, it retards personal growth and by extension that of a country. It is your responsibility to be proactive in the discharge of your work to ensure efficiency”.
She was, however, impressed about the level of sanitation in the communities and urged the authority to continue with the good works in improving sanitation.
Mrs Sackey assured the Assembly of the commitment of the Government to ensure the completion of the ultra-modern Assembly office, which started nine years ago, and called for support from all to actualise the project.
She said the government was in a hurry for development and that it was imperative for the Assembly to put in their best to ensure the success of all projects in the community.
The Minister expressed worry about the high rate of HIV/AIDS in the area, urging the authority to intensify education on the disease and expect a decrease of the disease in the coming months.
She inspected projects in the community such as CHPS Compound at Agorkpo and Teikpitikope, Police Station at Big Ada and the construction of a district assembly complex at Atortorkope.
Ms Sarah Dugbakie Pobee, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ada East District Assembly, said the Assembly in 2017 recorded 59 per cent of its revenue target, and that she was optimistic of improving the target to 99 per cent in 2018.
She called for support from the government and corporate bodies to procure additional waste containers to improve sanitation in the jurisdiction of the Assembly.
The DCE commended the government for the introduction of the free Senior High School policy, saying the programme had increased enrolment in the schools within the community.
During interaction with the staff, they pledged their unflinching support to work as a team to improve the fortunes of the Assembly.
They, however, appealed to the Assembly to provide them with the needed logistical tools such as gloves, waste containers and boots.
The Ghana News Agency observed during the tour that the Ada East District Assembly hall was in an awful state as all the seven windows of the hall were broken, with paintings having faded and furniture being in bad state.
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