The Brong Ahafo Regional Technical Advisory Team of Messrs P&H Enterprise and Consultants under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) schooled some selected heads of department in the Asunafo North Municipal Assembly of the Brong Ahafo Region on Public Financial Management (PFM).

The aim is to provide capacity support to participants to assist them in improving their performance within five core Public Financial Management (PFM) areas and provide targeted technical assistance to individual urban assemblies on the basis of their demand.

The participants who comprised the Information Services Department (ISD), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Social Welfare, Internal Audit, Budget Unit, Planning Unit, Revenue Unit,    were taken through five thematic areas – Budget Reforms, Reporting and Auditing, Local Revenue Management, Asset Management, and Social Accountability respectively.

The Zone One RTAT which is responsible for the Brong Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions was made up of Mr. Richard Smith-Aidoo (Financial and Auditing Expert), Mr. Ernest Osei-Tutu (Surveyor/Procurement Specialist, Contract and Asset Management Consultant) and Dr. Paul Sarfo-Mensah (Chief Executive Officer – Messrs P&H Enterprise and Consultants).

Dr. Mensah-Sarfo mentioned that the inputs of the various unit heads are very essential in the development of the municipality and urged them to contribute immensely towards the success of the programme.

Touching on the issue of Revenue Mobilization, Dr. Sarfo-Mensah stated that inadequate stakeholder consultation and participation during fee fixing is the root cause of people’s refusal to pay rates.

He said, there should be a consultation with sectional heads, decentralized departments, all stakeholders including the chiefs, assembly members, unit committee members and opinion leaders on approved rates. This, he said would help in the proper dissemination of the information to the people in order to avoid resistance in the payment of new rates in the municipality.

He said, the assembly should engage the media to educate the public on approved fees, licenses and rates and the uses of the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) and the benefits of the projects the IGF had been used for. ‘If this is done, the people will have confidence in the activities of the assembly and willingly pay their rates without complaints.

Dr. Sarfo-Mensah reiterated that should all stakeholders take responsibility of educating the public on the need to pay rates, no assembly would be crippled during the absence of Common Funds (CF).

Avayevu Reuben Oliver/Ghanadistricts.com