Tema Metropolitan Assembly to widen revenue generation to boost development

Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has adopted a Revenue Improvement Action Plan (RIAP) to help improve the generation of funds to support development projects, Samuel Lawer, TMA Planning Officer, has said.

He said the RIAP forms part of measures adopted by the Assembly to widen revenue generation to enhance development.

He said the Assembly needed funds to bring progress to the Metropolis, saying that the major challenge was inadequate funds to execute some of the ideas they had for the communities.

Mr Lawer said this during the validating of a draft Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP), which is to be used from 2022 to 2025, based on the need assessment of the various communities.

The TMA Planning Officer said the Assembly would train more revenue collectors to understand their roles in ensuring that enough revenue is generated to bring progress.

He noted that the Assembly had plans to expand health facilities, create more opportunities for the youth, resolve sewage challenges, construct more schools and train fisher folks, among others, which required revenue to achieve the goal.

He said the Assembly was taking steps to engage the private sector to supplement development in the communities.

He said the Assembly was collaborating with private institutions and agencies to help bring improvement in the living standards of the people.

He said through collaboration with the private sector some development projects had started in some communities, including the construction of a 100-bed health facility and construction of a storey building school for Presbyterian School in Tema Newtown, among others.

Mr Lawer said the Assembly had constructed institutional toilet facilities for some schools, initiated training for fisher folks and pleaded with the residents to contribute to developing the communities.

He indicated that the Assembly planned to improve the living standards of people in the Metropolis, which would require revenue to achieve such an aim.

He urged the residents to play their roles by paying their taxes so that the development initiative would be massive in the metropolis.