By: Abdul Shakur Omae
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has cautioned the Karaga District Assembly against portraying the district as a conflict prone area, urging the Assembly to stop what it described as negative characterizations of the people of Karaga.
The comments were made during a public hearing of the Public Accounts Committee held in Tamale. The Karaga District Assembly delegation, led by District Chief Executive Iddrisu Yakubu Hamza and accompanied by Alhassan Abdulai, district coordinating director and other officials, appeared before the Committee, in responding to concerns over the Assembly’s low internally generated revenue (IGR).
In their submission, the Assembly attributed the poor revenue performance to chieftaincy and land boundary disputes in the district, arguing that such conflicts had hindered effective revenue mobilization.
However, members of the Committee disagreed with this justification, insisting that the underperformance stemmed largely from weak monitoring and supervision mechanisms rather than conflict related challenges.
The Committee emphasized that administrative inefficiencies, not instability, were the primary cause of the revenue shortfall.
The Committee further noted that the Member of Parliament for the area, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, a former Finance Minister, has consistently projected the constituency in a positive light and facilitated significant development initiatives capable of boosting revenue generation.
According to the Committee, it is not in the Assembly’s interest to cast the district in a negative light, as such narratives could undermine investor confidence and the overall image of Karaga. The Committee urged the Assembly to strengthen its internal systems and focus on innovative revenue strategies to improve performance.
