The Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has marked his first year in office with a special revenue mobilisation exercise in the Central Business District (CBD) aimed at boosting the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA) Internally Generated Fund (IGF) and enhancing service delivery across the capital.
The exercise, which started from the Kinbu area through Tudu and other parts of the CBD, saw the Mayor leading Assembly Members, revenue collectors, and AMA officials to inspect payment receipts, verify toll payments, and encourage traders and business owners who were yet to pay their fees and levies to do so.
During the exercise, the Mayor also engaged shop owners and market women, listened to their concerns, and assured them of the Assembly’s commitment to improving trading conditions within the city.
Speaking to the media, Mayor Allotey said the decision to commemorate his first anniversary in office through a field revenue mobilisation exercise, rather than a ceremonial event, reflected the Assembly’s commitment to practical governance and development.
According to him, the AMA requires adequate revenue to undertake
development projects, pay workers, improve sanitation, maintain public infrastructure, and deliver better services to residents, traders, and businesses across the metropolis.
He explained that the special exercise was intended to encourage traders, shop owners, and business operators to honour their tax, toll, and levy obligations to support the Assembly’s work.
Mayor Allotey stressed that effective revenue mobilisation remained critical to the development of Accra, noting that the city could only progress when citizens and businesses fulfilled their financial responsibilities to the Assembly.
He added that the exercise also provided an opportunity for the Assembly to educate traders on how their contributions directly support the operations and development agenda of the city authority.
Responding to concerns raised by shop owners over street traders operating in front of their shops, the Mayor disclosed that new market facilities were being developed to accommodate traders currently selling on pavements and roadsides.
He assured stakeholders that the Assembly would continue to engage all affected groups and adopt practical measures that balance enforcement with the protection of livelihoods.
Mayor Allotey noted that marking his first year in office through a revenue mobilisation exercise symbolised his commitment to hands-on leadership and his determination to build a better Accra for all residents.
He said his administration would continue to prioritise sanitation, decongestion, revenue generation, public safety, infrastructure development, and inclusive governance as part of the broader agenda to transform the capital city.
The Mayor further urged business operators within the metropolis to cooperate with the Assembly by paying approved tolls, rates, and levies, insisting on official receipts and reporting any unauthorised collection of money.
Some shop owners who interacted with the Mayor welcomed the exercise and appealed to the Assembly to intensify efforts to remove street traders from the frontages of their shops.
According to them, although they were willing to pay their levies, the activities of street traders in front of their shops negatively affected visibility, customer access, and sales.
By 1960news.com
