Nadowli-Kaleo, one of the oldest districts in Upper West Seems to have a challenge with Revenue Mobilization and Development.
Nadowli as a district capital from 1992 till date has no Market for effective trading and revenue mobilization, this district relies solely on the Assembly common fund allocated by the government.
The District has for years focused more on Education than trading, Education is a long term investment, Every District Chief Executive focuses more on building Classroom blocks and elimination of schools under trees with less focus on how to build the trade sector.
Plots of land secured for the construction of a District Market to boost revenue mobilization have been abandoned. The said land is located 20meters away from the Nadowli District hospital.
This action of neglecting that project has made inflation very high in Nadowli compelling every individual to resort travelling to either Jirapa or Wa to buy their needed goods, this has deteriorated trading in Nadowli and made revenue mobilization very difficult for the district. The district does not make income from the schools they build but if it were to be investment in this market, the assembly would make more from taxing these market men and women, which will in turn bring more to the assembly.
Nadowli has more Schools then most districts but still invest in schools even though the intake is low, more people within Nadowli-Kaleo travel to developed towns like techiman in search of non existing jobs and some times in the end do the unthinkable to survive after they get stranded in these cities.
After the farming season, there is nothing more left to do by these impoverished people in Nadowli-Kaleo, they resort to charcoal trade which in the end worsens deforestation, some go into rural urban migration leaving the district less developed and empty, have we thought of how to keep these people busy, lucrative and purposeful?, we need to build markets in Nadowli-Kaleo, the schools alone are not helping the situation.
From 2017 till 2019 the Nadowli-Kaleo DCE, Hon. Kate Lankono has commissioned several basic schools numbering over 6, New senior High Schools have been introduced, after school what next? Are we preparing our future generation for trade? No!. The DCE has not budgeted for trading in the District, let’s add trading to the issue, the schools alone can’t do the magic. Let’s start developing the Nadowli Market as part of it like we Are doing in Kaleo.
Nadowli as a town and a District Capital has no Market and we Wonder how the assembly is Able to Mobilize Revenue.
The District is currently Using the Roadside as a trading point thereby putting traders at risk and also allowing traders opportunity to siphon assembly as the assembly is unable to tax most traders.
Residents in Nadowli have called on the DCE to Kick start the Market Project to Make Nadowli A Business Hub rather than an Academic Hub, schools alone cannot develop Nadowli.
By: Tuorimuo Elvis Philip