The Minority in Parliament is urging Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to provide funds for the District Assembly Common Fund urgently
According to the Minority, the government is required to compensate districts that owe the Common Fund since 2018.
Minority Chip Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza, stated at a press conference that the non-payment of the fund has suspended operations at several district assemblies.
“It is quite clear that since 2018, the common fund is unable to receive an amount of over six two billion Ghana cedis [GH₵6.2 billion]. Which is money due in accordance with Article 252 (2) of the constitution. It’s not an option for the government whether to pay the fund or not.”
“The money has been collected in terms of tax, it is illegal for the minister of finance Ken Ofori-Atta not to pay those monies to the assemblies. What it means is that there are many assemblies where their staff go to work and do nothing. They basically go sit around the table and close. As a result, the assemblies are unable to do the services that are required of them,” he emphasised.
Ranking Member of Parliament’s Local Government and Rural Development Committee, Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, claimed that the finance minister refused to appear before the committee to discuss the issue of common fund disbursement.
“We have severally tried, we have made that input on the floor of the house and the speaker Alban Bagbin has ruled that the ministry of finance should appear before the joint committee of finance and local government to make sure that these issues are resolved”.
He said, “at the local government level, we have written twice inviting the finance ministry to come to meet with us so that we can furnish the house with intentions of the ministry of finance to make sure that they adhere to the principles enshrined in the constitution. Up till today that has not been done,” Nii Lantey Vanderpuye said.
