He said the old court was the only structure on a three-acre parcel of land earmarked for the market, necessitating its demolition and the relocation of court proceedings to a temporary facility.

Speaking to the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development about the Assembly’s development activities, Mr. Ziniel said the construction of a permanent court was necessary to ensure the municipality had a suitable facility for judicial services.

“We relocated the court to a new place where they are currently sitting, but we want to now build a permanent court. So that is the reason why we are using part of our money to build a court. But the market is free,” he said.

He stressed that the court construction would not affect the ongoing 24-Hour Economy Market project, which he said was progressing within the contractor’s agreed timeframe.

24-Hour Economy Market Has 24 Months Remaining

Mr. Ziniel disclosed that the market contractor had been given 30 months to complete the project and had spent approximately six months on site.

“The market is ongoing. The contractor has 30 months, and so far he’s been on site for the past six months. So we still have about 24 months to go,” he said.

His comments suggest that the Assembly expects the market project to continue within the contractual period, with no delay reported in the timeline provided.

Nandom Completes Projects, Drills 15 Boreholes

The MCE highlighted several development projects undertaken by the Assembly, including the completion and commissioning of more than six projects and the drilling of 15 boreholes to improve access to water.

He said the Assembly had also constructed two Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds and three school blocks.

Other projects include the renovation of the Magistrate’s bungalow, other official bungalows and the MCE’s residence.

Mr. Ziniel added that the Assembly was going through procurement processes to undertake additional projects under its development programme.

He challenged residents and stakeholders to visit Nandom to assess the projects, claiming that the municipality had undertaken more projects using the District Assemblies Common Fund than any other district in the Upper West Region.

Low IGF Collection Remains a Challenge

Despite the reported development gains, Mr. Ziniel identified low Internally Generated Funds (IGF) as one of the Assembly’s major challenges.

He said the Assembly was working with traditional authorities and assembly members to improve revenue mobilisation and strengthen its capacity to finance local development.

“The chiefs, we’ve consulted them. They are aware. They are ready to help us. The assembly members are aware. They are all ready to help,” he said.

The MCE expressed optimism that stronger collaboration would improve revenue collection and provide additional resources for development projects.

Reflecting on previous revenue mobilisation efforts, Mr. Ziniel said some market traders were unhappy with him because he personally monitored collections to ensure compliance.

He explained that traders were accustomed to avoiding payments, making the enforcement of revenue collection unpopular among some of them.

He maintained that improving compliance with local tax obligations was necessary to strengthen the Assembly’s financial position.

Nandom Seeks Further Road Improvements

On roads, Mr. Ziniel said Nandom had a relatively extensive network of tarred roads compared with other districts in the Upper West Region, apart from Wa Municipal and Wa West, although he acknowledged the need for further improvements.

He disclosed that potholes along the main road linking Lawra and the eastern parts of the area were being patched to improve road conditions.

The Assembly, he added, was awaiting further major road rehabilitation works to improve the network beyond the current maintenance efforts.

Nandom Ranks Among Top Assemblies in 2025 Assessment

Mr. Ziniel also cited Nandom’s performance in the 2025 District Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT) as evidence of the Assembly’s compliance with local government procedures and the management of statutory funds.

He said Nandom scored 84 out of 100, sharing the highest ranking with Mampong in the assessment.

According to him, the annual assessment, organised by the Ministry of Local Government, evaluates how assemblies utilise statutory funds and comply with prescribed administrative and financial procedures.

The assessment is conducted annually to rank assemblies based on their performance against established criteria.