Investment and Business Potentials

The District Assembly aims to develop capacity and ensure effectiveness of the productive sector through sustained provision of social, economic and technical infrastructure and the creation of an enabling environment for private sector participation in the district’s economy.

The District Assembly actively encourages such private sector participation, which, if harnessed, can vastly improve the performance of the local economy. Wenchi District has abundant natural forest and agricultural products.

It has the potential to use agriculture as the basis for economic growth, given the vast rich soil, natural forest and favourable weather conditions. The Black Volta and its tributaries flow throughout the year and this serves as a source of high potential for irrigation. The Volta River Authority plans to build a hydro-electric dam at Budi, which will raise electrical power generation and boost local industrial development.

There have been confirmed reports of deposits of gold at Nsawkaw, Namasa and Banda Boase. Several international exploration majors are currently prospecting for gold in these places. There are also large deposits of stones. Currently, Taysec Construction Company, Nsemere Quarry and KASAP Company are all engaged in the quarrying sector there.

   Revenue Mobilization

Report On Mobilization Of Revenue As Task Force In Wenchi Municipality

On 22nd January, 2010, the Assembly inaugurated a task force to assist the revenue office to mobilise funds. It constituted twenty-one (21) memberships. They include nine (9) members of finance and administration committee, six (6) chairperson in sub-committee and six (6) Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) representatives.

Later on, we involve ten (10) members of service personnel due to inefficient and start the task force. They joined the task force team on 26 January 2010. Some of the places we were assigned to:

1. Subinso NO. 2 market on Tuesdays & Wednesdays
2. Wehchi old market.
3. Wenchi new market on Wednesdays & Thursdays
4. Nchiraa market on Sundays
5. Tromeso market on Sundays.
6. All the stone and sand quarries
7. Jensoso township
8. House to house property fund in Wenchi Township
9. Space to space retailers in Wenchi
10. Lottery agencies in Wenchi
11. Stores and Kiosks in Wenchi

WHY THE TASK FORCE WAS FORMED

Due to low performance of Assembly Revenue Funds, therefore, there was a need to form task force to assist the Assembly to mobilise funds.

OBJECTIVES

1. To raise the standard of funds in the Assembly Revenue.
2. To educate the stakeholders the need to pay their revenue to Wenchi Municipality.
3. To cross-check the serial number of the tickets and ensure that the amounts collected were paid to the various heads.
4. To know the problems of stakeholders as well as the revenue collectors.

CHALLENGES

Here, the challenges will be in three (3) folds basically on task force collectors, revenue collectors and stakeholders.

Task force collectors, on behalf of service personnels

• No letter of deployment to directors of various user agencies.
• Lack of orientation, artinary time table and place of work.

Revenue collectors

• Some with um-prescribed uniforms and lack of motivation and incentives
• No in-service training and also no identity cards.

Stakeholders

• Resist to pay their revenue on holidays and weekends.
• Lack of direct beneficiary on their contribution especially no urinal base at markets and no shield at new market.

OBSERVATION

We observed that some of the collectors were using wrong date and some tickets were stamped by themselves.  We also observed that the amount collected from the stakeholders was paid to bank through their Heads.

Due to shortage of gas and fuel which create low performance of revenue, the change of climate also has an effect on our economic inflation especially during the rainy season. 

Lastly, we observed that some of the task force left the scene without any notice that makes the mobilisation very tough:    

SUGGESTION

1. The. Assembly should have committee to deal with defaulters to serve as deterrent to others.
2. To provide the new and old market with urinal base.
3. The Assembly should get someone for stamping the tickets and recording the serial number of tickets.
4. The Assembly should provide the collectors with I.D. Cards, motivation as Incentives.   
5. The kiosk, stores and property rate should be projected on software for easily identification.
6. I suggest that someone with technical aspect should be employed at various quarries to collect revenue for the assembly.
7. The zoom lion coordinator should ensure that the markets are kept clean.

ACHIEVEMENTS

We were able to chalk the success for mobilisation of funds for the assembly. On contrary, we had three thousand, five hundred and eighty nine Ghana cedis (GH¢ 3,589.00) on the fourth (4th ) week of January, 2010 compare to the fullest month of January, 2009 which was amounted to four thousand, one hundred and five (GH¢4,105.00).

Again, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd  week of February, 2010, the Assembly had an amount of ten thousand, eight hundred sixty seven Ghana cedis twenty pesewas (GH¢10,867.20) as compare to the fullest month of February, 2009, the Assembly had seven thousand, four hundred and twenty five (GH0 7,425.00).

RECOMMENDATION

I will recommend that a member from the service personnel as team of task force should be employed permanently for stamping and recording the serial number of tickets.

Also, I will recommend that, the nature of the revenue collector is very tough and the Assembly promised them an amount of two thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢2,000.00) should be given them as motivation and in - service training.

Lastly, the task force should be in existence so that they can raise funds for the Assembly.

EXPENDITURE

From 25th January, 2010 to 28th February, 2010 every task force person were given three Ghana cedis (GH0 3.00) per day. It was amounted to seven hundred and sixty Ghana cedis (GH0 760.00) and fuel sixty Ghana cedis (GH0 60.00) which sum up to eight hundred and twenty Ghana cedis (GH¢820.00). We have attached the details of the expenditure as appendice.

CONCLUSION

I therefore conclude that the above stated challenges, suggestions and recommendations should be notice and act quickly to the response. The task force team should be motivated for their achievements.
 
HON. M.K DANSE
(CHAIRMAN OF TASK FORCE)