stakeholder meeting on budget

Denkyembour District Assembly Engages Stakeholders on 2023 Annual Composite Budget and Fee Fixing

Posted by Elvis Offei-Bekoe - 13th December, 2022

On Tuesday 13^th December 2022, the Denkyembour District Assembly engaged stakeholders within the district on the discussion of the 2023 Annual Composite Budget and Fee Fixing Resolution for 2023. The objective of the stakeholder engagement was to inform all relevant stakeholders about the fiscal and economic performance of the district for 2022 and the district’s outlook for the year 2023 in terms of budgetary allocations.

The District Budget Analyst for the district; Mr. Samuel Oppong Ampoma welcomed all stakeholders to the meeting and stated the purpose of meeting. He informed the house that because the assembly takes revenue from all the stakeholders, it was mandatory for the district to render accounts of all monies collected to these stakeholders.

He continued his presentation by educating the people on the performance of the assembly. He mentioned that out of the budgeted amount of GHC1,235,026.03 for Internally Generated Funds, above GHC 800,000.00 was realized as at the end of October 2022. These revenue sources were property rates, fees, fines, licenses, land, rent, investment and others. He also added that apart from the Internally Generated Funds, the assembly received funds from the Central Government and some of these fund sources are Goods and Services Transfer, Asset Transfer, District Assembly Common Fund, District Assembly Common Fund – Responsive Factor Grant and other sources such as MAG and NHIA. He mentioned that amongst all these fund sources a total of about GHC10,752,132.78 had been budgeted for in the year 2022 out of which about 50% had been realized as at the end of October 2022.

He then gave the outlook for 2023 and the focus areas where the assembly wishes to address for the year. The main focus areas include Agriculture and Rural Development, Water and Sanitation, Social Protection, Health, Education, Rural Development, Local Governance and Decentralization. He mentioned that the budget sought to improve production efficiency and yield, improve post-harvest losses, reduce environmental pollution, and ensure that PWDs enjoy all the benefits of Ghanaian citizenship, ensure free and equitable education or all by 2030, enhance quality of life in rural areas and strengthen domestic resource mobilization. Amongst all these focus area in the budget for 2023, a total of GHC 8,590,594.35 is expected to be received and expended for the year.

The District Coordinating Director; Alhaji Shamrock Abdulai Gafaru in his remarks mentioned that accounting to the people about the dealings of the assembly puts confidence in the assembly. He therefore promised all stakeholders that periodic engagements such as this one would be organized. He added that all occupants of assembly stores and other properties would be invited specially for another engagement to discuss matters of rent and tenancy agreements.

The District Finance Officer; Dr. Daniel M.K. Mabe was also called upon to interact with stakeholders. He mentioned that the fee fixing resolution of the assembly which had been duly gone through a gazette spells out every fee or fine that must be paid within the district. He however mentioned that the doors are always open for negotiations on any fee that needs to be paid.

In other business, the District Human Resource Manager and the District Information Officer used the opportunity to sensitize stakeholder on the activities of the Client Service Unit and the procedures of filing a complaint and also on the ongoing registration for Ghana Jobs and Skills Project respectively.