Government releases GH¢55.5m to Assemblies common fund

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE government has released GH¢55.5 million to the Office of the Administrator of District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for disbursement to the district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies for the first quarter of the year.
The 10 regional co-ordinating councils and the 230 Members of Parliament are also to get their share of the amount.
The Administrator of the Fund, Mr Joshua Magnus Nicol, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, stated that this was the first time that the calculation of the fund was based on seven-and-a-half per cent of the total revenue of the country. The DACF had been using five per cent to calculate the percentage of revenue to be shared to the district assemblies.
While he declined to disclose the amount allocated to each district, he said that each of the 230 MPs had been allocated GH¢14,482.10 for the quarter to undertake various projects.
Mr Nicol said his office was waiting for the submission of the budgets of the assemblies, including the newly established ones, before the disbursement of the amount.
He added, however, that the disbursement of MPs’ share had already begun to enable them to continue with their projects and programmes.
Mr Nicol expressed the hope that all the assemblies would be able to submit their budgets by the middle of May, 2008 in order to get their share of the fund for their budgeted programmes and projects.
He explained that since the government had paid all arrears owed to the assemblies, it was incumbent on the assemblies to work hard to ensure prompt submission of their budgets for prompt release of their share for each quarter of the year.
Mr Nicol advised district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives to strictly abide by laid down procedures for the disbursement of the Fund in order not to land themselves in trouble when they were no more in office.
The administrator added that there was the need for them to keep proper records so that their successors could continue from where they left off.