President John Dramani Mahama has stated that decentralisation is key to speeding up development in the districts.

He explained that the district assemblies were in the best position to know and address the needs of their communities.

He said the government had, therefore, instructed that 80 percent of the DACF should be transferred directly to the district assemblies to enable them to undertake projects based on their respective development priorities.

Town hall

President Mahama said this at a town hall meeting in Wa at the weekend as part of his #ResettingGhana Tour.

The meeting was an occasion for the president to meet stakeholders and be apprised of development projects and challenges in the region.

The President commended the Minister for Finance for the timely release of the funds and urged the assemblies to spend the allocations for the intended purposes.

He said the release of the DACF would allow local authorities to take ownership of development and respond more effectively to the needs of their communities.

President Mahama congratulated the contractor for the progress of work at the 24-hour economy market, stressing that “the 24-hour market is supposed to stimulate economic activity because economic markets are the lifeblood of trading and economic activity,” he said.

DACF releases

The Upper West Regional Minister, Charles Lwanga Puozuing, said the region had received GH¢101.902 million of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) for the implementation of development projects in the region.

The figure, which was released at the end of the second quarter, he said, represented about 25 per cent of the total DACF allocation anticipated for the region during the year.

Mr Puozuing said the funds had been directed to development projects in the 11 districts and municipalities of the region with emphasis on health, education, water and sanitation.

He said the projects included the construction of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, classroom blocks, and mechanised and manual boreholes, as well as nurses’ and teachers’ quarters.

Other projects, he said, were the construction of police posts, market sheds and road projects under the District Road Improvement Program (DRIP).

The regional minister said the region had also benefited from some 110 projects funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).

They included a library complex and halls of residence at the University for Development Studies (UDS), a new senior high school at Issa, a new Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centre at Ga and classroom and dormitory blocks at the Kanton Senior High School.

Mr Puozuing said the government had also prioritised the completion of abandoned projects while ensuring that new infrastructure reflected the development needs of beneficiary communities.

The Wa West District Chief Executive, Richard Wulo, who was present at Poyentanga when President Mahama inspected the 24-Hour Economy Market project, thanked the government for the release of funds to the assemblies on time.

“The district has received its share and the funds have been used to undertake development projects that directly affect the residents,” he said.

Mr Wulo said the strategic location of the 24-Hour Economy Market was expected to boost trade and improve livelihoods in the district.

He said the facility had the capacity to attract traders and businesses from the neighbouring Burkina Faso and other parts of the sub-region.

Inspection

President Mahama, as part of his tour of the region, also inspected the proposed site for the construction of the Upper West Regional Airport at Nyagli in the Wa Municipality.

The inspection was part of a broader government review of infrastructure and development priorities in the region.