General News of Thursday, 26 April 2018
Source: primenewsghana.com
2018-04-26
Daniel Yaw Domelevo, Auditor-General
The executive summary of the Auditor-General’s report for the year ending 31st December 2015 has revealed that 116 Metropolitan Municipal District Assemblies ( MMDAs) out of 201 owed a total amount of GHS9,428,730.92 as at the end of 2015.
The bulk of the Assemblies’ debts were deposits made to the Assemblies and unpaid retention amount. According to the A-G’s report, Sefwi Akontonmbra and Suaman Assembly Coordinating Directors and their Finance Officers willfully diverted GHS 150,981.00 lands revenue into privately opened bank accounts.
The A-G has recommended that, management should report the theft to the police to institute the necessary action aimed at recovery of the stolen funds.
Total income 2015, 201 MMDAs out of the 216 in 2015 accrued a total income of GHS1, 228,259, 398.30, the income sources remained unchanged and comprised of internally generated revenues and external inflows.
The internally generated funds accounted for 17.9 per cent of the incomes on the average and amounted to GHS 219,769,349.41, whilst the external inflows were District Assemblies Common Fund allocations, government grants for salary payments accounted to budgetary support to decentralized department, and grants from Ghana’s development partners.
Internal Generated Funds (IGF) collections continue to decline across board mainly because management did not involve their finance and administration sub-committee to review the rates to be paid as well as devise effective measures for collecting unpaid revenue.
The AG has noted that the general weaknesses in accounting for value books and revenue collected also contributed to the low record of IGF collections.
A total expenditure of the 201 Assemblies amounted to GHS 1,095,075,584.65 as against a total income of the GHS 1,228,269,398.30 as a result, a net surplus of 133,183,813.65 was recorded.
Some 18 Assemblies however recorded a total deficit of GHS 8,640,697.91 in their operations while assets of the MMDAs comprised cash resources with the banks, investments in shares and interest bearing banking products in financial institutions.
Others are unredeemed loans granted under the poverty alleviation funds as well as uncovered advances with staff of the Assemblies.
The total bank balance of the 201 Assemblies as at 31st December 2015 was GHS 277,568,523.80 with none of the Assemblies ending the year with net overdrawn bank balance while the bulk of the bank balances were held by the Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies.
Liabilities of the 116 of the 201 Assemblies owed a total of GHS 9,428,730.92 as at the end of the year with the bulk of the Assemblies debts were deposits made to them and unpaid retention amount.