The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has charged metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to strictly adhere to accountability regimes in the utilisation of their District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

She said the government’s decision to disburse over GH¢2 billion to the MMDAs amid the tight fiscal space was evidence of the commitment to reset local governance and decentralisation in the country.

“Our reset agenda puts decentralisation at the heart of national development, and we believe that governance must reach our districts, our communities and our households.

“As the government works to improve the disbursement of resources to the MMDAs, they must see to it that the resources are used responsibly so that decentralisation translates into tangible improvement in the lives of people,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang added.

She was speaking at the maiden national dialogue on decentralisation and responsive governance in Accra yesterday.

The two-day dialogue is on the theme: "Resetting decentralisation for responsive local governance and effective service delivery." 

Objective

The primary objective of the dialogue was to provide an open, inclusive platform to assess the current state of decentralisation, interrogate challenges that continue to constrain local governance, and build consensus on actionable reforms to strengthen institutions and improve service delivery.

The Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCD) Secretariat is convening this as part of the process to develop the National Decentralisation Policy and Strategy (2026-2030).

Participants include key actors in the local governance and development sector, such as experts in local governance, state and non-state actors, academia, development partners and civil society organisations.
 

Accountability

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the formulation of the national decentralisation policy and strategy (2026 to 2030) was progressing steadily under the IMCCD and would soon come into force.

She added that the policy and strategy would provide a solid framework for transferring power, authority, functions and responsibilities from the central government to the sub-regional level.

As such, the Vice-President said the chunk of money disbursed to MMDAs would be meaningless if the assemblies failed to make judicious use of the funds to transform critical sectors such as education, health care, and water and sanitation in their various communities.

She also explained that the reset agenda of the government revolved around increasing the DACF allocations, the election of MMDCEs, and empowering assemblies to generate their own revenue for accelerated development.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang further said that development would only be meaningful when communities were given a voice in their choice of projects for local assemblies to embark upon.

“The challenge before us today is to ensure that decentralisation moves from abstract aspirations to reality- the kind of reality that improves service delivery; the kind of reality that creates opportunities and allows citizens to experience governance in their everyday lives,” she added. 

Collaboration

The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, said for local governance to achieve its objectives, itwas important for MMDCEs to work closely with the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) and traditional authorities to implement programmes that would benefit the people.

“If the MMDCEs, RCCs, traditional authorities, and religious leaders each embrace their responsibilities under the Local Government Act, 2006 (Act 936), Ghana will have a system where resources are better managed, where citizens’ voices are heard, and where local governance truly improves lives.