By Moses M. Tokpah
The Mayor of the City of Kakata, Margibi County, Rev. Gbarngawoe Eddie Seyboe, is calling for logistical supports aimed at enhancing the operations of the Kakata City Corporation.
Mayor Seyboe told this writer in Kakata recently, that the city needs some equipment such as dump truck, tricycles, pickup, rain gear and other sanitation equipment to be equipped enough to carry out the waste management process.
The mayor stated that the issue of equipment for the city corporation is something that needs serious attention from the government and other international partners for adequate waste management.
He said waste management is the biggest of all challenges in the world with Kakata being of no exception as in his words billions of dollars have been put into managing waste in other countries.
According to him, the Kakata City Corporation has been operating with just three tricycles in a city that has the population of almost one hundred thousand (100,000) persons, stating that those tricycles cannot even run the major street of Kakata.
He mentioned that for a city with such a huge population having just three tricycles for waste management, is a very serious challenge that is faced by the Kakata City Corporation.
Mayor Seyboe explained that tricycles are meant for short distances and ridding them on long distances in a period of time will eventually lead them to fast depreciation.
He said the tricycles cover almost half a mile distance to dispose wastes that are collected from the street of Kakata on a daily basis thus making them to depreciate on a quick note.
The Kakata City Mayor narrated that of the three tricycles, one is completely down while the corporation is continuously repairing the other two to temporarily deal with the main street of Kakata.
In a related development, Mayor Seyboe has outlined a five-year strategic plan aimed at improving the City of Kakata.
The plans include the construction of the city mayor’s office complex and street lights, the pavement of a 0.34km road that connects the Kakata General Market to Bong Mines Road.
Others are the establishment of an international trade route between the US and the City of Kakata, acquiring 15 tricycle trucks to fully address waste problem, acquiring a pickup and four motorbikes for use by the city police, a dump truck, a SUV for the city mayor, and a utility vehicle for office use.
The mayor said his office in collaboration with the City Council has already compiled and approved the municipality annual budget for the period, January 1, 2025-December 31, 2025.
He indicated that through the intuition and innovation of the city council, they have arrived at a staggering amount of US$1,670,277 as the budget for the one-year period.
Mayor Seyboe added that the projected expenditures for the city corporation amounted to US$1,655,295 yielding a budget surplus of US$14,982.
He recounted that the projected revenue will come from business taxes, sales tax, fees levied on real estate, fines and interest, gifts and contributions, grants, and profit from investments, amongst others.
The mayor said they have apportioned about 65.86% of the revenue to be generated to infrastructures development which includes the pavement of the road connecting the market to Bong Mines Road.
He said as a corporation which is to generate her own financial resources according to the city ordinances, shall invest in fish and rice farming in conformity with the ARREST AGENDA.
The mayor disclosed that these investments account for 6.58% of the revenue projections while salary and allowances amount to 9.30% of the total revenue projects, etc.
He maintained that this is just a gist of the planned activities of the city corporation for 2025 indicating that in the following years they intend to make Kakata City an export-based economy where 90% of her revenue shall derive from export earnings.
In addition to that, the mayor said the corporation’s plan for this year (2025) is to also go in the 12 communities that are on the major routes of the city to contain waste before it starts spreading out gradually.
However, the mayor asserted that the corporation is also putting up bids to invite the private sector to see how they can sign a memorandum of understanding to be able to contain the waste in the city.
He said the corporation has set a benchmark for the city that at least 75% of the waste should be contained in the period of three years, but it will need the necessary supports in terms of equipment.
The Kakata City Mayor called for the cooperation of every resident of the city to be able to achieve this goal.