By Ilyasa Baa
The Western Rural District Council (WARDC) has projected to raise a whooping and staggering Twenty-Five Billion old Leones to be spent on the management and administration of district. The fund will be directed towards scaling up infrastructural development, women’s and youth empowerments, education and access to healthcare service for residents of the Western Rural District.
According to the WARDC Chairman, Kasho J. Holland-Cole, the rural district council is expected to raise the Twenty billion Leones and the remaining Five billion Leones is expected to be provided by the central government. He said the money is expected to be raised from home sourced revenue, adding that it is not clear to him whether the central government will comply in providing all the Five billion they would need from them to develop the district. Chairman Cole pointed out that the money will be used judiciously for the implementations of this year’s council project.
The WARDC Chief said projects and activities will be directly areas of interventions in women’s and youth empowerments, procurement of ambulances to convey pregnant women to healthcare facilities as well as education.
Mr Holland-Cole said during his reign as WARDC Chairman, he has built over ten schools and markets with funds sourced from revenues raised from dues, rates and taxes. He disclosed that WARDC is paying an India company thousands of United States Dollars to operationalize their online tax payments system. He said his administrations has enhanced revenue mobilization in the district, adding that they are jointly working in collaborations with the Freetown Mayor City Council, Yvonne Aki- Sawyerr to deal with issues arising from payments for property rates in areas bordering with the rural district which is under his purview. He cited Fourah Bay College at Mount Aureole as one area that is mistaken to be in Freetown rather than in the Western Rural District.
Running for re-election, Chairman Holland-Cole said there is no aspirant or candidate within the SLPP to match up with him considering his level of performance which has taken the district and Council over this short period as Chairman of the Council. “I am capable of defeating any opponent from the ruling party”, he assured this medium, adding that his opponents just concentrate on cheap political gains instead of talking about tangible development indicators in the country.
