Increase our allocation to 7.5%- DACFund appealed to Government
Gilbert Boyefio
13/09/2006
Joshua M Nicol, the Administrator of the District Assemblies' Common, has appealed to government to increase the allocation of funds to the sector from 5 percent to 7.5 percent to accelerate the decentralisation process in the country.
The DACFund is a pool of resources created under section 252 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. It is a development fund which enables the use of the nation"s wealth throughout Ghana to the benefit of all citizens.
Speaking in an interview with The Statesman, Mr Nicol said the fund aims at creating jobs for all Ghanaians through programmes such as cottage industries. He said it also seeks to assist more people to gain access to improved shelter through the provision of housing facilities.
The fund encourages and supports communities that make the effort to initiate their own development projects that is, community initiated programmes.
Through the fund, health facilities are expanded and improved to make health delivery accessible to a large number of people.
Reacting to public perception that DCE's have been misappropriating funds allocated to them, Mr Nicol denied the allegations stating that measures have been put in place to monitor the disbursement and utilisation of funds to the districts. He said there are monitors such as, the regional co-ordinating council in the districts, the Auditor General's Departments and also the office of the administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund.
He noted that because the districts are a human and dynamic institution, if there should be any misappropriation of funds in the face of the numerous monitoring mechanisms, then it will be on a very minute scale.
Giving a break down on how the fund is shared, he disclosed that 90 percent of each year's allocation is shared among the assemblies according to an approved formula. Five percent of the fund is shared among the 230 MP's constituency projects.
2.5 percent is shared among the ten regional co-ordinating councils for supervision purposes in their respective regions. Two percent is reserved to meet contingency expenditure and the remaining 0.5 percent is to cater for the DACFund secretariat expenses.
Mr Nicol said MP's have the right to use their common funds for projects of their choice in their districts.
13/09/2006
Joshua M Nicol, the Administrator of the District Assemblies' Common, has appealed to government to increase the allocation of funds to the sector from 5 percent to 7.5 percent to accelerate the decentralisation process in the country.
The DACFund is a pool of resources created under section 252 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. It is a development fund which enables the use of the nation"s wealth throughout Ghana to the benefit of all citizens.
Speaking in an interview with The Statesman, Mr Nicol said the fund aims at creating jobs for all Ghanaians through programmes such as cottage industries. He said it also seeks to assist more people to gain access to improved shelter through the provision of housing facilities.
The fund encourages and supports communities that make the effort to initiate their own development projects that is, community initiated programmes.
Through the fund, health facilities are expanded and improved to make health delivery accessible to a large number of people.
Reacting to public perception that DCE's have been misappropriating funds allocated to them, Mr Nicol denied the allegations stating that measures have been put in place to monitor the disbursement and utilisation of funds to the districts. He said there are monitors such as, the regional co-ordinating council in the districts, the Auditor General's Departments and also the office of the administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund.
He noted that because the districts are a human and dynamic institution, if there should be any misappropriation of funds in the face of the numerous monitoring mechanisms, then it will be on a very minute scale.
Giving a break down on how the fund is shared, he disclosed that 90 percent of each year's allocation is shared among the assemblies according to an approved formula. Five percent of the fund is shared among the 230 MP's constituency projects.
2.5 percent is shared among the ten regional co-ordinating councils for supervision purposes in their respective regions. Two percent is reserved to meet contingency expenditure and the remaining 0.5 percent is to cater for the DACFund secretariat expenses.
Mr Nicol said MP's have the right to use their common funds for projects of their choice in their districts.
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