The Minority in Parliament has stated that decentralisation is about bringing government closer to the people and ensuring equitable development across the country and not merely about maintaining existing structures.
“The creation of new districts and regions was, and remains, a deliberate policy choice to extend the reach of government, empower local structures and enable previously underserved areas to directly receive attention and resources for development,” it said.
It pointed out that Ghana’s decentralisation journey must be understood as a dynamic process aimed at deepening governance, empowering communities and expanding opportunities for development.
“The creation of new districts and regions is not an overreach; it is an investment in inclusion and nation-building,” it said.
This was contained in a statement signed by the ranking member, Committee on Local Government and Decentralisation, Francis Asenso-Boakye, in response to local governance expert, Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi's criticism of the proliferation of district assemblies in the country, arguing that the increased number had become counterproductive and needs to be re-examined.
Prof. Ahwoi cited, for instance, that partisan considerations had gone into the creation of 261 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), suggesting that some of them currently barely existed and were not fit for purpose.
Initiatives
The Minority said for Prof. Ahwoi, who remains Ghana’s longest-serving Minister of Local Government, to describe those initiatives as counterproductive failed to appreciate the essence of decentralisation itself.
It said the suggestion that the creation of six additional regions between 2018 and 2019 was an “overreach” because Ghana survived with 10 regions for over five decades was a misreading of the rationale behind the policy shift.
“The question was never about mere survival. It was about facilitating growth, inclusion and accelerated development.”
“These new regions and districts have already opened up opportunities for infrastructure, social services, and investment that were previously constrained under the old regional structure,” it stated.
Population requirements
The statement said Prof. Ahwoi’s claim that presidents have not kept faith with population requirements in the creation of MMDAs was not supported by the facts.
“Every metropolitan, municipal, and district assembly that was created, at least under the NPP administration, satisfied the population thresholds and economic viability requirements enshrined in the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).
The process was undertaken with due regard to the law, not partisan convenience,” it said.
It said beyond the legal thresholds, the tangible results of the creation of the six new regions could not be overlooked as each of the regions now had a Regional Coordinating Council with full departmental structures for Education, Health, Agriculture, and Highways, ensuring decentralised services were delivered to areas that previously had little or no access.
It noted that the programme at which Prof. Ahwoi made his remarks was couched in the language of “resetting decentralisation,” with the framing and theme appearing to be politically motivated, designed to advance the agenda of the ruling party rather than provide a neutral platform for a balanced national dialogue.
“The Minority believes that decentralisation is too important to be reduced to partisan talking points,” it stated.
