The Savannah Regional Minister, Salisu Be-Awuribe Issifu, has warned Municipal and District Assemblies against collecting revenue from illegal charcoal production and galamsey, insisting that local authorities cannot legitimise unlawful activities in the name of raising funds.
He has also cautioned the assemblies against unauthorised expenditure, urging them to strengthen financial discipline, improve internally generated funds (IGF) and comply strictly with public financial management procedures.
Mr Be-Awuribe Issifu gave the warning at the 2027 Regional Composite Budget Hearings for the Savannah Region’s seven Municipal and District Assemblies, where he called for greater accountability in the management of public funds.
The assemblies presented proposed budgets totalling approximately GH¢192.54 million for the 2027 fiscal year, with North Gonja District Assembly recording the highest allocation of GH¢35.55 million, followed by East Gonja Municipal Assembly with GH¢30.04 million.
Central Gonja District Assembly proposed GH¢26.19 million, North-East Gonja District Assembly GH¢26.87 million, Bole District Assembly GH¢25.37 million, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Assembly GH¢24.67 million, and West Gonja Municipal Assembly GH¢23.86 million.
The minister said the hearings were intended to scrutinise the assemblies’ proposed budgets, assess their financial performance and ensure development priorities aligned with national policy objectives.
He stressed that public expenditure must be properly planned, budgeted for and approved before implementation, warning that procedural breaches and unauthorised spending could undermine development and expose public officials to accountability concerns under the Public Financial Management framework.
Mr Be-Awuribe Issifu further urged the assemblies to prepare realistic budgets based on credible revenue estimates, measurable targets and clearly defined development priorities.
He said the fiscal discipline demonstrated at the national level under the current administration should be reflected in the operations of regional, municipal and district authorities.
Minister pushes assemblies to boost own-source revenue
The regional minister expressed concern about the continued dependence of some assemblies on central government transfers and grants, arguing that local authorities had significant potential to generate additional revenue from economic activities within their jurisdictions.
He urged them to identify untapped revenue sources, enforce approved fees and rates, and adopt effective revenue mobilisation strategies from neighbouring districts.
He also encouraged innovative but lawful revenue-generating initiatives, expressing the hope that assemblies would eventually finance and execute development projects entirely from their IGF.
However, he cautioned that revenue mobilisation must remain within the law, specifically rejecting collections linked to unauthorised charcoal production and illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He said illegal activities could not be legitimised to raise funds for local development.
The minister also called on the assemblies to allocate resources to public health interventions, including HIV/AIDS programmes and related activities, as part of efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
Assemblies urged to prioritise roads, health and education
The Regional Coordinating Director of the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council, Bernard K. P. Sakyiama, urged the assemblies to ensure their proposed budgets addressed the region’s pressing development needs and the aspirations of residents.
He identified roads, education, healthcare, water and sanitation, agriculture, and local economic growth as key priorities for the region.
Mr Saky iama also called for prudent spending, improved IGF mobilisation and value for money in development projects, given the limited resources available to the assemblies.
He stressed that effective budgeting should be measured not merely by the preparation and approval of financial plans, but by the successful implementation of projects and programmes that improve people’s living conditions.
Representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Local Government Service, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Presiding Members, Coordinating Directors, Finance and Administration Subcommittee Chairpersons, finance and planning officers, heads of departments and other officials from the seven assemblies attended the hearings.
The exercise is aimed at strengthening budget scrutiny, promoting fiscal discipline and ensuring responsible financial management and effective delivery of development programmes across the Savannah Region.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
