BAN Boost WARDC With Essential Tools
By Mohamed Konneh
With funding from the USAID the Budget Advocacy Network (BAN) through the Building Accountability System through empowered community (BASE) project handed over working instrument to the Western Area Rural District (WARDC) geared towards enabling the council collect more revenue. The handing over was done at the WARDC Conference hall in Waterloo on Monday, 22nd April 2024.
These essential equipment were presented to the Western Area Rural District Council in preparation for the training of 60 enumerators scheduled for the following day.
This support is designed to assist the council in increasing revenue and providing the necessary services to the people of WARDC. The cooperation of citizens will lead to proper accountability for the income and expenditure of taxes collected by the council.
Mr. Abdul Rahman Sesay explained the project's objectives and introduced the members of the consortium.
He stated that the consortium, led by the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), BAN, 50/50, CARL, and IRN, is funded by the people of the United States through USAID.
Mr. Abu Bakarr Kamara, the BAN Coordinator, handed over the equipment to the Acting Chairman of WARDC, Mr. Brown. The Coordinator mentioned that they have financed the online migration system, which will enable the council to incorporate 35,000 properties into their system.
To ensure the process is efficient and expedited, modern equipment has been procured for the council's use. The items include 60 laser electronic measurement devices, one HP laptop, one large printer with reserve inks, one hard drive for backup, and ten boxes of A4 paper.
The Acting Chairman, receiving the items on behalf of WARDC, told the gathering that the support was timely and greatly appreciated. He remarked that BAN and the Consortium team have significantly contributed to the district's development. Last year, they collected SLE 4 Billion Leones amidst numerous challenges, and with this new support, they aim to reach SLE 10 billion. Previously, the district had records for only 38,000 properties; with BASE's assistance in targeting an additional 35,000, this will be a substantial improvement.
The evaluation officer expressed gratitude on behalf of his unit, committing to maintain accurate records of all items and ensure their accountability.
