TEMA METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY MAKES STRIDES (PAGE 29)

The Tema Metropolitan Assembly lost GHҐ400,000 in revenue in the year 2008 as a result of the creation of the Adenta and Ashaiman municipal assemblies out of it.
The assembly was, however, able to achieve 99.8 per cent of its budgeted internally generated fund while total revenue generated amounted to 95 per cent of the budgeted amount.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Kempes Nii Ofosuware, announced this at the first ordinary meeting of the third session of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly.
He said it was a commendable achievement. He said the assembly had projected to achieve its revenue targets for the year 2009.
Mr Ofosuware explained that the assembly had already achieved 48.8 per cent of its budget of internally generated fund by June 30, 2009.
He appealed to the staff of the assembly and the assembly members to rally behind him for greater achievements.
Mr Ofosuware urged them to examine their shortfalls and re-strategise to achieve better results.
He said sanitation continued to be the biggest challenge to the assembly as it still consumed a large proportion of the assembly's resources.
Mr Ofosuware said the waste management department of the assembly was, however, able to reduce piles of waste dumps in the metropolis.
He said the landfill site at Kpone, where all types of solid waste, including slag from steel industries in Tema, were dumped received an estimated 1,800 tonnes of refuse per day with about 100 refuse trucks visiting the site daily.
Mr Ofosuware said the waste management department was currently confronted with challenges of indiscriminate dumping of heavy materials and domestic waste around the metropolis, irregular payment of fees for refuse collected, inadequate equipment and vehicles to manage and supervise solid waste management.
He said the assembly had under the household toilet system, constructed 45 public toilets in the metropolis with five at Kpone ,five at Sakumono and 35 at Tema Manhean.
The metropolitan chief executive said the Tema stadium needed a facelift and that the assembly had plans to upgrade it to a 10,000-seater sports facility.
He said in line with the exercise, the assembly would provide seed money of about GHҐ500,000 million for the successful take off of the project by the year 2010.
Mr Ofosuware said the assembly was talking to public agencies and the private sector operators to join hands with it to realise this objective.
The metropolitan chief executive said the Tema Restoration Agenda would include the refurbishment of all spoilt street lights within the Central Business District and the fixing of new ones on some selected streets within the metropolis.
The metropolitan chief executive said the Works Department of the assembly had been tasked to draw up a programme for the successful execution of a decongesting programme.
Mr Ofosuware called on the assembly members to work hard to uplift the metropolis, noting that it was relevant to upgrade existing structures and systems in the metropolis with a view to strengthening them, while creating new ones where necessary to ensure a more efficient and effective service delivery.