BMA talks of expanding development

The Bawku Municipal Assembly has assured its constituents of its preparedness to surmount difficulties the municipality is facing to bring about improvement in the lives of the people. As a first step, the authority says it has identified two distinct areas through which it hopes to turn its aspirations into reality.The assembly says it is going to stop private developers from encroaching on government lands and buildings, and expand the Bawku Municipal Assembly's sources of revenue.

Even though the assembly boasts an impressive record with regard to its internally generated funds (IGF) and has benefitted from a number of interventions, including the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), the Urban Development Grant (UDG) and the District Development Facility (DDF), it acknowledges that there is still more to do to address the ever-increasing development challenges.

Considering the prevailing conditions therefore, the assembly is writing proposals and liaising with development partners to raise funds for development. The assembly is currently working on proposals for the supply of four small town water supply systems and the expansion of water pipelines within the municipality.

Encroachment

According to the Bawku Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Bukari Issaku, private individuals have encroached on government lands and have put up structures all over the place without considering the official layout of the area.

He said what was more worrying was that the encroachers had pulled down existing government buildings and taken over the lands, as was currently happening in South Natinga. Mr Issaku has under the circumstances entreated assembly members to consider the issue seriously and help put a stop to such acts. 

"The people must be reminded that the municipal assembly has authority and that everyone ought to be law abiding. If action is not taken now, a time will come when the assembly will find it difficult to provide infrastructural facilities as we are at the moment experiencing difficulties in the municipality," the MCE warned.

Revenue

Over the years, revenue mobilisation in the municipality has been quite impressive.

In 2013, the assembly was able to exceed its IGF target of GH¢376,100.52 by over GH¢438,000. A number of strategies have since been formulated to improve, on revenue generation.  

Again, for the 2013 fiscal year, the assembly was allocated an amount of GH¢1,605,848 as its share of the DACF. The funds were used for projects, including the construction of a 20-seater water closet toilet with a borehole, painting the office block of the Bawku Municipal Assembly and for the construction of revenue checkpoints at Binduri and Sabon-Gari among others.

The MCE believes that setting revenue targets for revenue collectors would help in the assembly’s drive to mobilise revenue.

He indicated that the assembly would put in place an effective monitoring mechanism to ensure that rates and fees collected were properly accounted for.  

DDF projects

Under the District Development Fund (DDF) facilty, the assembly has constructed a clinic, a nurses quarters, a community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound and a 12-seater KVIP at Bugri. The assembly has also drilled 10 boreholes and constructed a 12-seater water closet and 3-unit classroom block at Bawkzua and Mognori. In addition, two hundred electric poles and six hundred dual desks have been supplied to a number of communities.

Rural electrification programme

Under the rural electrification programme, 10 poles have been erected for the supply of electricity to Kpalwega, Buabula, Zamasa, Zuuku, Narazua, Bugzunde, Naki-Natinga, Deega and Wiidi.  

Under Phase 2 of the programme, the on-site contractor has begun mounting electricity poles in communities including Gentiga No.1 and 2, Kpalwega, Mengoog, Yakut, Tampizua 1 & 2, Kolpieng, Zabugu-Dagbeog, Arizem, Kuka, Yumboko, Kopeligu and Genbudugu.

Town roads

Considering that roads play an important role in the socio-economic development of any society, the assembly is working hard to put roads in the municipality in good shape. This has become pertinent because of the bad nature of roads in the municipality which gets worse during the rainy season.

The assembly, meanwhile, has reshaped and gravelled close to 15 roads. The assembly has plans to continue to undertake periodic maintenance and spot improvement works on some urban and feeder roads.

This year, a portion of the road fund (budget) allocated to the assembly would be used to undertake routine maintenance works such as patching potholes, road levelling, drawing road line markings and signs, gravelling, partial reconstruction, road resealing and rehabilitation.

School feeding programme

The Bawku Municipal Assembly expects to have all basic schools under the Ghana School Feeding Programme. At present, 32 schools with a total population of 16,254 pupils in the municipality are covered by the programme with 17 more schools expected to join soon. It is envisaged that all basic schools in the municipality would be covered.

Security situation

It is heartwarming to mention that the Bawku municipality is currently enjoying relative peace. The municipal authorities are leaving no stone unturned to promote peace within Bawku.

"The relative peace we are currently enjoying is because the Municipal Security Committee, with the co-operation of members of the assembly, is able to take swift and decisive action to calm situations whenever the need arises,” said the MCE, Mr Bukari Issaku.