Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has tasked MMDAs to explore new revenue sources which will lead to their financial autonomy.
The minister made the call during the Ghana Urban Forum and Relaunch of the Lands, Services and Citizenship (LSC) project held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, at an event held under the theme: ‘Building Resilient Cities: Deepening Spatial Planning and Land Value Capture for Development in Ghana’.
He explained that new revenue sources from the land to the cities and town authorities in the form of betterment charges as enforced in other countries would help deepen decentralisation while creating opportunities for expanded projects.
He averred that spatial planning and land value capture if properly managed in the cities and towns could lead to harnessing of revenue for infrastructure and services for planned areas in the form of roads, drains and electricity, among others.
Collins Dauda expressed appreciation to the GIZ and Cities Alliance, UN Habitat for Humanity and other organisations for their support in Ghana’s endeavour to add value to its urban communities.
He added that the provision of such sites and services enhances the development of social housing for the poor and reduces the upsurge of slums and climate related disasters such as floods.
The minister further mentioned that Ghana had reaffirmed its commitment to the Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
He was happy that Ghana in 2012 launched the Ghana Urban Action Management Pilot Project (GUMPP), which, according to him, was being implemented in Ho Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale “to increase investments in urban infrastructure, improve spatial planning and ensure financial autonomy of the MMDAs.”
A representative of Cities Alliance, Julian Baskin, averred that the 2015 Ghana Urban Forum comes in the wake of recent urban stresses and shocks of poor sanitation, disease outbreaks, floods and proliferation of slums and other issues affecting the urban poor.
He continued that the forum would engage stakeholders on issues relating to spatial planning and creating resilient cities and towns to surmount challenges to flooding and commitment consequences, especially for the urban poor.
Mr Baskin further mentioned that the forum would be used as a vehicle to relaunch the land, services and land citizenship for the urban poor.
By Solomon Ofori