Budgeting as a tool for enhancing financial management in local government authorities

MMDAs as development partners to the central government need to mobilize enough revenue locally to support the central government development agenda. Inadequate financial resources can undermine the effective implementation of developmental projects in MMDAs. Budgets are important as they prudently manage scarce financial resources and at the same time serve as a means of expenditure authorization, control and evaluation base. MMDAs in Ghana, prepare budgets but deal with it in lesser extent, unlike the profit-making organizations which consider budget and budgetary controls important element in their policies. It is against this background that this study was carried out to find ways by which MMDAS especially AEDA can use budgeting and budgetary controls as management tools to prudently enhance their financial management system for local development. The case study approach was used in the study. Interviews and questionnaires were used to solicit data for the study.
The research found out among other things that MMDAs prepare budgets and control the budgets. The research data evidently prove that in the case of Ada East District Assembly, this is true. However, poor budget formulation and implementation and low revenue generation base make it difficult for MMDAs to live up to their responsibility as partners to the central government in national development. Recommendations and suggestions have accordingly been made to improve upon budgeting and budgetary controls in MMDAs and the nation as a whole.