A seven-member delegation from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), has paid a working visit to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly(AMA) to discuss ways to assist improve revenue mobilisation and curb financial crime.
The delegation led by the Executive Director, Commissioner of Police (COP) Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, included the Deputy Executive Director, Nana Antwi, Director of Administration, Edward Cudjoe, Head of Organised Crime, Bashiru Dapilah, Head of Public Affairs, Faustina Lartey.
The Chief Executive of the AMA, Hon Elizabeth Sackey who received the entourage to her office expressed concerns over the inability to generate enough revenue due to leakages adding that the Assembly was in the process of digitalising its revenue collection system to check revenue leakages and increase its Internally Generated Funds (IGF).
She said the Assembly was ready to work with EOCO to help address issues such as the issuance of fake tickets among other financial malpractices to increase revenue.
“We are ready to work together, we need your support in many areas and we are happy to have you, Our revenue is not flowing the way it should,” she said.
She assured the EOCO team of her offices’ resolve to work together to increase the Assembly’s revenue base.
The Executive Director, COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, said the purpose of the visit was to inform the Assembly of its mission and how it could support it to achieve its mandate to develop Accra.
She disclosed that her outfit decided to set up its Accra region to concentrate on the activities of various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies and support them to increase revenue.
“There are a lot of things we bring to the table when it comes to the activities you do, there are a lot of fees and rates people don’t want to pay and we are here as a state organization to help you collect them, also our presence here is to let you know what we bring to the table and how we can support you to achieve your mandate to develop the Accra we want,” she said.
” We were in the Upper East and the MCE told us that those who were supposed to pay their rates and fees to the Assembly had done so by an invitation from EOCO… Together they have improved on their revenue collection and we want to extend that same collaboration to the AMA… There are a lot of businesses operating within your area of jurisdiction who have no Business Operating Permit from the Assembly and these are things that we will work on together,” she added.
Head of Organised Crime, Bashiru Dapilah, said EOCO was concerned about how the various Assemblies manage their Internally Generated Funds (IGFs) and other sources of revenue, hence the setting of its Accra Region to extend the searchlight on their activities.
Present at the meeting were the Presiding member of the AMA, Alfred Adjei, and the Head of the Development Planning Department, Mr.Richard Oduro among others.
