The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to invest part of their District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocations in developing local tourism attractions to increase Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and accelerate development in their communities.
According to her, the government’s decision to increase the proportion of the Common Fund available to assemblies to 80 percent presents an opportunity for local authorities to identify and develop tourism facilities capable of generating sustainable revenue.
She explained that the decision by President John Dramani Mahama’s administration to uncap the Common Fund was intended to strengthen decentralisation and provide assemblies with adequate resources to address the specific development needs of their communities.
“Under His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, MMDCEs are receiving eighty percent of the Common Fund. It’s been uncapped by our government, and it’s for good reason, so that you are able to decentralise governance, and also that specific communities can address their specific needs,” she stated.
Madam Gomashie described the increase from about 45 percent to 80 percent as a major policy decision that should enable assemblies to undertake more development projects.
She encouraged MMDCEs to take advantage of the additional resources by identifying tourism opportunities within their jurisdictions that could generate revenue for their assemblies.
“You can make a choice to invest in the low-hanging fruits in the tourism sector so that you can have IGF that you can use to improve upon the community,” she said.
The Minister further urged assemblies to collaborate with the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to explore ways of financing tourism projects that may not have been captured in their existing budgets.
She explained that assemblies with potentially profitable tourism facilities could engage the Ministry to negotiate the necessary budgetary variations to support their development.
“If you have a facility in your community, in your region, that you know can bring you the money, go and see the Honourable Minister for Local Government and ensure that that variation is done for you,” she advised.
Madam Gomashie’s appeal forms part of her broader efforts to encourage local authorities to identify and develop untapped tourist attractions as a means of strengthening local economies. During earlier regional engagements, she also emphasised the need for collaboration between assemblies and tourism agencies to develop and promote local attractions.
Source: Newspyramid.com
