By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Takoradi, Oct. 23, GNA – Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have been urged to commit at least 20 per cent of their Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to capital projects that directly benefited citizens and prioritise existing projects before initiating new ones.
They have also been directed to ensure that their 2027–2030 Composite Budgets are realistic, adequately costed and aligned with national development priorities to improve upon service delivery and deliver measurable benefits to communities.
The directives formed part of the key requirements outlined for the 2027–2030 Regional Composite Budget Hearings, which are being held across the country’s 16 regions from October 12 to 23, 2026, involving all 261 MMDAs.
Mr. Joseph Osei Antwi, Principal Economic Officer of the Ministry of Finance told the various assemblies that presented their budget at the Western Regional hearing.
The exercise was being conducted in accordance with Regulation 17(3) of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2378), and the 2027–2030 Budget Preparation Guidelines.
The hearings are intended to assess the assemblies’ budget performance, review their development priorities and ensure that the government policies and community needs were translated into implementable programmes and projects.
Mr. Antwi emphasised the need for fiscal discipline, accountability and effective resource allocation and management in local governance.
“Limited resources available to the assemblies required them to concentrate on projects that would deliver the greatest benefits to their respective communities, “he added
The assemblies were also urged to strengthen revenue mobilisation, particularly by identifying opportunities under the 24-Hour Economy initiative to expand their revenue bases and support local development.
They were also advised to review their basic and property rates to enable them to generate meaningful income for the development of their various districts.
Under the budget requirements, all MMDAs are expected to prepare and capture their 2027–2030 Composite Budgets using the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) Budget Module, known as Hyperion.
Their proposals must remained within approved expenditure ceilings and be based on realistic revenue projections and expenditure estimates.
The assemblies were further reminded that all procurement activities must be processed through the Ghana Electronic Procurement System (GHANEPS) to promote transparency, accountability and compliance with public procurement requirements.
The hearings required each assembly to present a comprehensive account of its 2026 budget implementation, highlighting achievements, challenges and performance against established indicators.
The presentations are also expected to outline revenue and expenditure proposals for 2027–2030 and demonstrate how the proposed programmes and projects relate to government policy objectives and anticipated development outcomes.
The 2027 Composite Budgets must be approved by the respective General Assemblies and endorsed by the Presiding Members and Coordinating Directors before submission through the RCCs to the Ministry of Finance in November.
Mr. Philip Fiifi Buckman, the Member of Parliament for Kwesimintsim who attended the hearing encouraged all assemblies to coordinate development planning very well through a demarcated and service plots to curb the haphazard building of structures, cutting of mountains and filling of valleys that gradually give room to flooding and sanitation issues.
Mr. Kirk Kwofie, the Regional Director of the controller and accountant department, urged the assemblies to collate data on the working population within the assemblies to raise the relevant revenues for local development.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga /Kenneth Odeng Adade