President John Dramani Mahama has fulfilled his electoral promise to pay assembly members an allowance.
To facilitate the payments, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson announced an allocation of GH¢100 million while presenting the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Tuesday, March 11.
However, he did not specify the amount each assembly member will receive or when the payments will commence.
Additionally, Dr. Ato Forson announced an allocation of GH¢7.51 billion to the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) and proposed direct payment of the funds to district assemblies to drive development.
“In accordance with our decentralization policy objective, we propose to Parliament that a minimum of 80% of the funds should be sent directly to the district assemblies to spur economic growth at the district level and deepen decentralization.
“Mr. Speaker, it is worth noting that this is in stark contrast to what has happened to the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) in recent years, where less than 50% of the released amount to DACF goes to the district assemblies, with a significant portion spent at the center,” he stated.
Ahead of the 2024 election, Mahama acknowledged the vital role of local governance and emphasized the need for financial support to enable assembly members to effectively carry out their duties.
He also pledged to increase the District Assembly Common Fund disbursement from 5% to 7%.
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