The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Joseph Yieleh-Chireh, on Thursday addressed the Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA) with a call on Assemblies to help eliminate corruption in revenue generation.
"Even though you have an impressive revenue collection record as an assembly, you have to remove the human factor of corruption in such activities," he told the assembly, in what turns out to be his first ever of such interaction since his appointment.
He said there was the need for the adoption of a computerized system of collection to help ensure the proper monitoring of revenue collections.
The Minister charged Assemblies to do things right and encouraged the OMA to continue with its record of progress.
Mr Yieleh-Chireh reminded the assemblies of their responsibilities in the provision of schools, roads, clean sanitation, and other amenities for their communities. He spoke against the sharing of hard-won revenue among assembly members under the guise of sitting and other allowances.
On sanitation, he said his Ministry was developing a new policy which will outline all issues about getting a clean environment, regretting that just about 14 per cent of the country's population had access to clean sanitation.
He said the situation had serious health implications, adding that the numerous problems in sanitation could be addressed through attitudinal change and the application of available technology.
The Minister announced that a multi-stakeholder conference would be held to deliberate on how to make the country's decentralization system work more effectively.
Mr Yieleh-Chireh expressed satisfaction about the unity and co-operation that prevailed in the OMA, and stressed the need for the people of the area to continue to be a shining example to other assemblies in the country.
"It is a good thing for all assembly members, traditional rulers, assembly staff and other stakeholders to work as a team to realize their developmental objectives," the Minister added.
Mr John Alexander Ackon, Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, said the spate of armed robbery though not eliminated, had declined considerably in the Municipality, the only threat to security being the activities of illegal miners.
He noted that in recent time, illegal miners had ventured into the underground operations of the Obuasi mine of AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), creating panic for the workers of the company.