BONGO ASSEMBLY ACHIEVES REVENUE TARGET

BY PETER ATOGEWE WEDAM                                                                21^st December, 2018      

DISTRICT INFORMATION OFFICER – BONGO

The Bongo District Assembly in the Upper East Region has achieved almost 100 percent of its Internally Generated Fund [IGF] target for the year. The Assembly had earlier in 2018, set and approved an amount of 232,122.72 Ghana Cedis to be mobilised from local revenue sources within its jurisdiction.

Bongo District Chief Executive [DCE], Hon. Peter Ayinbisa Ayamga made this disclosure in his sessional address at the Assembly’s 3rd Ordinary Meeting held in Bongo last Friday. He said as at November 2018, a total amount of 230,118.18 Ghana Cedis had been mobilised representing 99.03 percent of the set target. He attributed this feat to effective supervision by the Assembly’s Revenue Officers and the relentless efforts of a Revenue Task Force that was put in place.

Mr. Ayamga also disclosed that the Assembly received its Common Fund covering the 1st and 2nd Quarters of 2018. Meanwhile, the three percent Disability Fund component was also accordingly paid the Assembly and which has since been disbursed in a number of tranches to deserving members of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations across the district.

The DCE’s address which was segmented, touched on education among other sectors. On Education, he noted that “countries thrive well when they invest in their people and infrastructure”. He disclosed that the Assembly had procured and distributed 500-number Dual Desks to basic schools across the district that were in dire need of these pieces of furniture. He also said to augment classroom infrastructure in the area, his office was almost completing the construction of a 3-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities at Akulyoo, 2-unit KG block with a modern play-ground at Ayopia while another 2-unit KG block was almost nearing completion in the Beo Community, using alternative building materials for its construction.

Mr. Ayamga further disclosed that the Bongo District presented a total number of 1,995 candidates from 56 Junior High Schools for the Basic Education Certificate Examination this year. He said of the number, 911 were boys and the remainder of 1,084 made up of girls. He was however displeased with their performance at the exam as the district’s report from the Ghana Education Service [GES] in June, showed a percentage score of 16.8 percent which was a decline from last year’s performance of 19.1 percent. He thus charged the GES to step up its supervisory duties while he called on parents to make their children’s education paramount so as to reverse the trend. He pledged that the Assembly will also continue to do its bit in this regard.

On Water and Sanitation, the DCE noted that, President Nana Addo’s government places high premium on the sector and has demonstrated same by the creation of the Water and Sanitation Ministry alongside, several releases of funds for the execution of water and sanitation-related projects. He disclosed that Bongo District had made significant gains in the water sub-sector hitting 80 percent coverage which is close to the national figure of 89 percent coverage.

He revealed that under the auspices of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO], the Bongo Assembly had partnered the IHE DELFT Institute for Water Education in a pilot of the Vea-Bongo Groundwater Deflouridation Project. A number of 10 households and one public school have been selected in the Anafobisi area for this pilot which should see a drastic reduction, if not complete eradication of the high volumes of fluoride in the district’s underground water.

Meanwhile on the Sanitation front, the district with the backing of the Bongo Paramount Chief, Naba Baba Salifu Lemyaarum, relaunched its campaign against Open Defecation in the area in April this year. As part of the Community Led Total Sanitation [CLTS] intervention by UNICEF in the district, the Assembly is strengthening every effort to achieve an Open Defecation Free [ODF] status by September 2019. At the last count, only 29 communities were declared and certified as ODF.

Touching on other projects, Mr. Ayinbisa disclosed that some roads in the area were being worked on including spot improvement on the Bongo-Balungu-Namoo feeder roads of over 40 kilometres and spot rehabilitation on the 38.5-kilometre Balungu-Lungo-Vea feeder roads. Meanwhile, works on the Gorigu-Balungu bridge and other culverts were progressing appreciably. He also announced that, close to 47 new communities in the district would be hooked onto the national grid under the Rural Electrification Project in the coming year.