Minister-designate proposes multi-stakeholder approach to local governance reform

The Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has revealed plans to consult former local government ministers in a move to reform Ghana’s local governance system.

Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Mr Ibrahim outlined his strategy of “administrative continuity.” This approach will see former ministers, including Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Kwamena Ahwoi, and Hajia Alima Mahama, collaborate on tackling persistent challenges facing the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

“We will practice what we call administrative continuity. We will bring all those people together informally so that the nation can benefit from their experience when they were in office,” Ibrahim explained to the committee.

The Minister-designate pointed to several key areas in need of attention, including the poor state of assembly infrastructure, irregular disbursements of the Common Fund, and challenges in revenue mobilisation.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the current role of District Chief Executives (DCEs), who he described as functioning merely as “protocol officers.” “These are not protocol offices. They are local economic development agents. You cannot be sitting there waiting for Accra to bring you money,” he said.

In response to concerns from the Appointments Committee about assembly infrastructure, Mr. Ibrahim challenged the notion that districts cannot maintain their own facilities.

“I can build a whole district. You cannot be given one building and say that within that district jurisdiction, they cannot maintain that one house,” he stated.