Intensify revenue mobilisation – Minister urges MMDAs

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, has charged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region to ramp up their resource mobilisation efforts and take the necessary steps to address challenges impeding revenue collection.

He said even though the region was doing well in the mobilisation of internally generated funds (IGF), its booming local economy was not entirely reflective of the revenue generated by the MMDAs.

“I am of the view that we can do better, considering the number of residential and commercial properties sited in the region, together with new properties springing up on a daily basis. We could make major revenue from property rates and building permits.

“When you go to Tema West , Lashibi, Airport, Ayawaso West Wuogon, East Lagon — there are very powerful properties and we’re not taking advantage of them. This is a gold mine,” he stated.

Event

The regional minister was speaking at the 2025 – 2028 Regional Composite Budget Hearing for all the 29 MMDAs in the region, held in Accra yesterday.

Held in collaboration with the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), it aimed to deepen participatory budgeting and accountability at the local level.

Also, it provides avenue for MMDAs to account for their stewardship as managers of the local resources entrusted to them.

The hearing also offers the citizens the opportunity to appreciate the extent to which the assemblies are utilising the fees and rates collected.

It will also ensure that budget allocations reflect the objectives and strategies of government policies and are also in line with the 2025 to 2028 budget integration guidelines issued by the Ministry of Finance.

It brought together representatives of the MMDAs, a technical team from the Ministry of Finance, the Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Dr Eric Oduro Osae, and the Chief Director of RCC, Lilian Baeka.

Warning

Mr Glover issued a stern warning to local officials who were using illicit means to fraudulently issue receipts and permits to residents to divert funds meant for the region’s development into their private accounts, and called on the relevant authorities to intensify their investigations to arrest and prosecute such officers.

“There are people on the ground who are using fake receipts. They know what they write, but when they go down, they write a different thing and at the end of the day, the citizen is expecting government or local government to bring development.

Money that should come to central and local governments are going into individual pockets,” he said.

The regional minister therefore charged the local authorities to draw development-focused budgets by allocating and utilising adequate financial resources for social services delivery, infrastructure delivery, management, economic development and environmental management.

These, he said, included allocating 20 per cent of the IGF to initiate or complete capital projects for the direct benefits, pursuing anti-corruption measures, mainstreaming climate change and gender activities.

Public trust

The Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Elizabeth Sackey, said the hearing was not only a review but an opportunity for MMDAs to align their work and projections with the broader goals of national development.

She further explained that the hearing was not just firmly grounded in the principles of public accountability, transparency and inclusiveness but it enhanced public trust while ensuring that financial strategies remained people-centered to address the key developmental challenges in the respective areas of the MMDAs.