The Auditor General has directed the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly to refund 917,756.26 Ghana cedis Ghana Urbana Management Pilot Project (GUMPP) back to the GUMPP accounts.
The auditor General in its 2018 reported found that TMA misapplied GUMPP funds contratray to section 3.6.1 of the operational manual of GUMPP which specifies that allowable expenditure are only expenditures contained in the approved GUMPP annual procurement plans.
This includes construction works under the steering committee approved projects.
The GUMPP was a Ghana-France collaboration with a loan facility of €40 million through the Agence France de Development (AFD).
The GUMPP project consists of the construction of storm drain and a retention pond in Gumani to remedy perennial flooding which has over the years led to loss of human lives and properties in the Tamale metropolitan City and the Sagnerigu Municipal assembly.
Other projects include the re-designing and construction of the Aboabo market and Lorry Park, rehabilitation of the Tamale Abattoir at Shishegu and the upgrading of Moshie-Zongo, Salamba and Tishegu Township.
However, the Tamale metropolitan Assembly in 2 July, 2017 TMA misapplied the GUMPP funds without the approval of the steering committee, the AG reported.
The anomaly the auditor General observed could lead to GUMPP funded projects not being completed within budgeted period and thereby increasing the cost of the projects.
Northern Regional Auditor, C. K. Normanyo disclosed this when he presented the Auditor General report on the management and utilization of district Assemblys’ common fund and other statory funds for the year ended 31sr December 2018 at the maiden Regional People’s Assembly Forum in Tamale.
The forum which was organized by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) was to review the report and sought the views of the citizens on the implementation of the report. The regional auditor told participants mainly coordinating directors and finance officers that TMA would have to pay back the money from their Internal Generated Fund (IGF) into the GUMPP accounts.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.