AMA exceeds revenue targets

Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, has called on assembly members to work hard to sustain its remarkable performance in revenue collection.

He said the Assembly generated GH¢32,145,749 for the year 2014, but was able to bag an amount of GH¢35,800,000 for 2015 — exceeding its projected figure by 11 percent.

Dr. Vanderpuije said this at the Assembly’s 2016 first session held in Accra, and commended the staff and assembly members for good work done during the period.

He urged them to be guided by the principle of perseverance and a sense of purpose in this New Year.

The AMA boss urged suppliers and contractors to register with the AMA for their companies to be hooked onto the Ghana Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) database for easy preparation and payments of their bills.

Dr. Vanderpuije also called on assembly members to educate their electorate on the importance of paying rates to help generate more funds to transform the city.

He said the Assembly with support from the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID), the World Bank and the Chinese Embassy initiated a number of projects: including construction of the Millennium City Schools with science laboratories, and an Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre and library to boost the academic excellence of school children in the metropolis.

Dr. Vanderpuije said: “We are taking steps to ensure that those rearing animals confine them to stop them from straying and defecating on the streets; and animals whose owners cannot be traced will be auctioned while identified owners will be fined.”

In the sewage management sector, Dr. Vanderpuije conceded that there were many challenges — but said a sewage treatment plant at the cost of 15 million dollars has been constructed to ensure that households, schools and other institutions dispose of their liquid waste as expected.

Dr. Vanderpuije said the Assembly has prosecuted about 1,032 cases of sanitation offenders, and realised GH¢139,568 which was paid into the consolidated fund.