By Benjamin Adamafio Commey
Accra, Aug. 10, GNA – Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged stakeholders to support implementation of Ghana’s decentralisation framework.
She said the National Decentralisation Policy and Strategic Framework (NDPS) 2026-2030 required collective commitment to translate decentralisation reforms into improved services and tangible development outcomes.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang made the call in Accra on Monday when she opened the Second National Dialogue on Decentralisation and Responsive Governance, organised by the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCC).
The dialogue brought together regional ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), traditional leaders, local government experts, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
It also coincided with the commemoration of the African Decentralisation and Local Development Day, observed annually on August 10.
The Vice President said stakeholder support could take the form of technical assistance, capacity development, financing, advocacy, innovation and active participation.
“Government action alone will not be enough,” she said, stressing the need for collective efforts to strengthen local governance and ensure that decentralisation delivered meaningful results to communities.
The NDPS 2026-2030, approved by Government, seeks to deepen the transfer of functions and responsibilities to the local level, strengthen local governance institutions, improve public service delivery and accelerate development.
It also seeks to enhance citizen participation and accountability while strengthening collaboration between central and local governments and other stakeholders.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the framework was not merely a policy document but a roadmap for building a governance system in which local institutions had the confidence, capacity and resources to respond effectively to local needs.
She said Government’s commitment to decentralisation was further reinforced by its position paper on constitutional review recommendations, which sought to strengthen local governance, enhance accountability and reinforce the democratic legitimacy of local governments.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said Government had re-energised the IMCC and ncreased the proportion of the District Assemblies Common Fund transferred directly to MMDAs.
It was also advancing policy and legislative work to deepen functional devolution in education, health and roads.
On sanitation, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said recent flooding had exposed weaknesses in waste management, sanitation practices and enforcement of environmental standards.
She said the proposed District Environment, Health and Sanitation Department under the NDPS would restore operational responsibility for environmental health and sanitation to MMDAs.
The Vice President said sanitation performance had also become a key performance indicator for MMDCEs, adding: “Cleanliness must become a daily discipline.”
She urged stakeholders to measure decentralisation by its impact on citizens, rather than only by policies, structures and functions transferred.
“Our aim is a Ghana where local institutions have the confidence, the capacity and the resources to respond to local needs and where communities are active partners in shaping development,” she said.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Religious Affairs, called for stronger financial support for MMDAs to enable them to effectively bring development to local communities.
He said strengthening the capacity and financing of MMDAs was critical to improving sanitation and building resilient communities.
Mr Ibrahim said sanitation could not be addressed through policy alone, stressing the need for adequate resources, stronger inter-ministerial coordination, accountability and effective project execution at the local level.
“Without adequate financial resources, we cannot build the capacity of our assemblies or deliver the sanitation and other essential services our communities need.
“The MMDAs must have the fiscal space to invest in sanitation, water and other critical services, rather than merely administering scarcity,” he said.
Mr Gameli Hoedoafia, Executive Secretary of the IMCC, said the new phase of decentralisation must focus on democratic participation, accountable public service delivery and accelerated local development.
He urged stronger coordination, effective implementation and measurable delivery to ensure that the framework did not remain merely a policy document.
Mr Hoedoafia also asked stakeholders to measure success by the quality of services delivered and tangible improvements in communities, rather than only by functions transferred or institutions established.
“Democratic participation, accountable public service delivery and accelerated local development must define this new phase of decentralisation.
“We must move from measuring decentralisation by the functions transferred and institutions established to measuring it by the quality of services delivered, the responsiveness of local institutions and the development outcomes experienced by citizens across the country,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Benjamin Adamafio Commey