By Edward Dankwah
Accra, Nov. 14, GNA – Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minister of Finance, has announced that Ghana’s local governance system is set for a significant transformation in 2026, as the government allocates substantial resources to strengthen decentralisation, expand social protection programmes, and enhance urban infrastructure.
He said the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) would sustain major reforms and development interventions that directly impacted communities, vulnerable households, and local economies across all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
Dr. Forson made the announcement while presenting the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on the theme: “Resetting for Growth, Jobs and Economic Transformation.”
He said the government disbursed GH¢25 million in monthly allowances to Assembly Members, indicating that this support would continue into 2026 to ensure active civic engagement and grassroots development.
The Minister said to strengthen evidence-based local governance, the Ministry completed the 9th cycle of the District Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT) for all MMDAs under the District Development Data Platform.
“The 10th cycle, planned for 2026, will introduce a performance tracker aligned with the Presidential Project Delivery Unit to unify local accountability measures,” he added.
He said the Ministry worked with the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation to conduct nationwide consultations for the new National Decentralisation Policy and Strategy (2026–2029), which would guide the next phase of local governance improvement.
Dr. Forson also announced expanded leadership training for 257 newly appointed MMDCEs, delivered by the Institute of Local Government Studies, to enhance public administration, financial management, and citizen engagement capacities.
He said following the relaunch of the National Sanitation Day in September 2025, MMDAs intensified the enforcement of sanitation by-laws, promoting cleaner environments nationwide.
He added that major hygiene-related infrastructure projects were completed, including a 500-seater dining hall at the Ho School of Hygiene, rehabilitation of dormitories at the Tamale School of Hygiene, and phase one of a three-storey academic block at the Accra School of Hygiene.
Dr. Forson said under the Ghana Productive Safety Net Project 2, the Ministry disbursed GH¢24.23 million in start-up grants to 13,194 beneficiaries and GH¢37.91 million in wages to 65,020 participants in labour-intensive public works
He noted that in 2026, the support would be expanded to 47,303 beneficiaries, alongside enterprise skills training for 7,208 additional participants to strengthen household resilience.
The Minister said in 2026, the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion Project would roll out 384 new subprojects, complete 138 ongoing works, and provide grants to over 1,000 community groups and producer associations.
He said the Department of Community Development trained 94 frontline officers, and that this would be scaled up to reach 650 stakeholders and 2,200 women and youth next year to drive community-led local economic development.
“The Department of Parks and Gardens maintained 1.6 million square metres of landscaped areas in 2025 and will expand to 2.5 million square metres in 2026, introducing climate-smart greening across major cities,” he stressed.
He said the Births and Deaths Registry registered 432,925 births and 37,123 deaths in 2025 and aimed to double registrations in 2026 through digital systems and mobile campaigns.
Dr. Forson emphasized that the MLGCRA remained committed to creating a resilient, inclusive and people-centred local governance system that strengthened decentralisation and accelerated Ghana’s long-term sustainable development.
He described the 2026 allocations as critical to “resetting for growth and driving economic transformation from the community level upward.”
GNA
Christian Akorlie