By – Sadat Dabo 

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for West Mamprusi Municipality in the North East Region, Mohammed Rabiyu Jabaah, has announced plans to intensify revenue mobilisation by registering all businesses within the municipality, including small-scale roadside traders and food vendors operating at night

The initiative forms part of his administration’s strategy to strengthen the Assembly’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to finance infrastructure development, improve access roads and reduce the municipality’s dependence on central government funding

Speaking in an exclusive interview with GBC URA Radio’s Sadat Dabo, Mr Jabaah identified inadequate revenue mobilisation as one of the major challenges confronting the Assembly, despite the municipality’s considerable potential to generate funds locally

He said the Assembly intends to capture businesses that have traditionally operated outside its revenue collection system, irrespective of their size or location

According to him, traders selling from tables, operating on the ground, running small shops or conducting other commercial activities will all be registered to ensure they contribute to the municipality’s development

“My aim is that we ought to register every other business that is within the municipality. It doesn’t matter whether you are selling on a tabletop, on the ground or you have a store. Whatever small business you are doing, we ought to register you,” he stated

Night revenue collectors to target food vendors

In what appears to be a major shift in the Assembly’s revenue mobilisation strategy, Mr Jabaah disclosed that revenue collectors would also be deployed at night to capture businesses that operate outside the normal working hours

He explained that several food vendors and other businesses operate mainly at night, making it difficult for the Assembly to collect revenue through its conventional daytime operations

The MCE said he had tasked the Budget Department to arrange night-time revenue collection to ensure that such businesses are brought into the municipality’s revenue mobilisation framework.l

He believes the move will help close revenue collection gaps and expand the Assembly’s financial base

IGF to drive roads and infrastructure development

Mr Jabaah said improving the Assembly’s IGF was critical to his vision of opening up more access roads, decongesting Walewale and expanding educational infrastructure across the municipality

He explained that although the Assembly has equipment to undertake road-opening activities, deploying the machinery requires adequate financial resources

He therefore believes that a stronger local revenue base will enable the Assembly to undertake more development projects without relying entirely on the District Assemblies Common Fund and other central government allocations

“Without IGF, we can’t be able to do much. If you have enough IGF, that will also go to increase our Common Fund,” he noted

He added that improved revenue mobilisation would also support the construction of schools in communities with inadequate educational infrastructure and roads in areas with limited access

Decongestion and sanitation form part of his vision

Beyond revenue generation, the MCE said his administration was committed to opening up more streets in Walewale to ease traffic congestion and create room for commercial activities

He also highlighted regular clean-up exercises as part of efforts to improve sanitation, particularly in areas where night-time food vendors and other businesses generate significant waste

Mr Jabaah maintained that his broader vision was to build a municipality capable of generating sufficient local resources to address its development challenges

He expressed confidence that bringing more businesses into the Assembly’s revenue system would provide the financial foundation needed to improve roads, expand school infrastructure and deliver essential services

Source – gbcuraonline.com