A seven-member delegation from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) visited the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to discuss ways to improve revenue mobilization and combat financial crime.
The delegation was led by Executive Director, Commissioner of Police (COP) Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, and included the Deputy Executive Director, Nana Antwi, the Director of Administration, Edward Cudjoe, the Head of Organised Crime, Bashiru Dapilah, and the Head of Public Affairs, Faustina Lartey.
Hon Elizabeth Sackey, Chief Executive of the AMA, welcomed the entourage to her office and expressed concern about the Assembly’s inability to generate enough revenue due to leakages, adding that the Assembly was in the process of digitizing its revenue collection system to check revenue leakages and increase its Internally Generated Funds (IGF).
She stated that the Assembly was willing to collaborate with EOCO to address issues such as the issuance of fake tickets and other financial malpractices in order to increase revenue.
“We are ready to collaborate; we need your help in many areas, and we are delighted to have you; our revenue is not flowing as it should,” she said.
She assured the EOCO team of her offices’ determination to collaborate in order to increase the Assembly’s revenue base.
The purpose of the visit, according to the Executive Director, COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, was to inform the Assembly of its mission and how it could assist it in fulfilling its mandate to develop Accra.
She revealed that her organization decided to establish an Accra region to focus on the activities of various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies and assist them in increasing revenue.
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“There are a lot of things we bring to the table when it comes to the activities you do, there are a lot of fees and rates people don’t want to pay, and we are here as a state organization to help you collect them,” she said. “Our presence here is also to let you know what we bring to the table and how we can support you to achieve your mandate to develop the Accra we want.”
“We were in the Upper East, and the MCE told us that those who were supposed to pay their Assembly rates and fees had done so due to an invitation from EOCO… They have improved their revenue collection together, and we want to extend that collaboration to the AMA… There are a lot of businesses in your jurisdiction that doesn’t have a Business Operating Permit from the Assembly, and these are things we’ll work on together,” she added.
Bashiru Dapilah, EOCO’s Head of Organised Crime, stated that EOCO was concerned about how the various Assemblies manage their Internally Generated Funds (IGFs) and other sources of revenue, hence the establishment of its Accra Region to cast a wider net over their activities.
Among those present at the meeting were the AMA’s Presiding Member, Alfred Adjei, and the Head of the Development Planning Department, Mr.Richard Oduro.
Source: 3news.com
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