President John Dramani Mahama will launch the first-ever Community Partners' Fund (CPF) under the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) on Thursday.

The CPF will provide a credible, transparent, and nationally backed platform through which stakeholders can contribute to development.

The fund is a community-focused financing mechanism that empowers individuals, corporate organisations and the Ghanaian diaspora to directly support development projects in local communities.

The initiative is designed to accelerate grassroots development across Ghana.

The Administrator of the DACF, Michael Harry Yamson, told a media briefing in Accra on Tuesday, ahead of the official launch, that it was to serve as a top-up to the five per cent receipt from national revenue, as established under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution.

Purpose

The purpose of the fund is, among other things, to catalyse local development projects across 261 districts and to enable direct participation by citizens and organisations in national development.

The DACF is established under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution and its operations are guided by the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).

It operates under a legal framework that ensures fairness and efficiency, thereby promoting trust and integrity in all its activities.

Initiative

Under the CPF, contributions to the fund would be classified as a tax-deductible donation, approved by the Ghana Revenue Authority and supported by an official certification issued to contributors.

Mr Yamson said the CPF adopted a digital-first approach to ensure efficiency and accessibility, and that all contributions are made via the official platform- contribution.commonfund.gov.gh.

The goal is to ensure accessibility for individuals, corporates and diaspora communities.

Mr Yamson said the fund was underpinned by, among others, strong institutional oversight by DACF.

He said 80 per cent of the contributions earmarked for specific districts would be given directly to them, while districts without any contribution but with developmental needs would share the remaining 20 per cent.