MMDAs TO RAISE BONDS FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS

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Julius Debrah, Min. of Local Gov't. & Rural Dev'pt with Samuel; Sarpong, ARM
Government is to grant the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies the permission to raise bonds from the capital market from early next year to implement specific important infrastructural projects aimed at speeding up socio-economic development across the country. 


The Assemblies will later pay for the loans from proceeds from those projects to reduce the government’s headache of budget deficit, while infrastructural development continues unimpeded. 


The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Julius Debrah disclosed this at separate meetings with four different MMDAs in the Ashanti region on the first of his three-day first working tour of the Ashanti region. 


Mr. Debrah was in the company of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Samuel Sarpong. 


The Minister disclosed also that from January next year, government, in partnership with Fidelity Bank, will start a pilot programme in Accra to allow interested land lords and land ladies to access credit to provide toilet facilities in their respective properties and re-pay within two years. 


This is part of durable measures to address sanitation challenges bedeviling the country. Also, there are plans to introduce a job creation initiative also from next year, by which the MMDAs will be empowered to support residents within their respective jurisdictions to go into medium and small scale entrepreneurship to reduce the over-dependency on the Central Government for employment, which has become an undesirable phenomenon in Ghana.


 Another initiative to be introduced very soon will be the encouragement of the MMDAs to adopt local materials and technology for the construction of what is known as Social Housing projects that will make houses affordable for the average income earner to own their houses. 


During interactions, staff and some Assembly members of the Sekyere South and Sekyere East District, Asokore Mampong Municipal and Kumasi Metropolitan Assemblies, Mr. Debrah entreated the staff to work in harmony with each other and ensure a cordial and friendly working atmosphere. 


The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Samuel Sarpong, emphasized the crucial role traditional authorities continue to play in the socio-economic development of the country. 


For this reason, Dr. Sarpong directed all MMDAs within the region to work closely with the chiefs and elders such that the MMDCEs should as much as possible, always seek the inputs of the traditional leaders in the formulation of policies and planning of development projects since they have the ability to mobilize the people for development.

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