Bia east: The Bia East District Assembly of the Western North Region has emerged as the best-performing Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly (MMDA) in Ghana. It secured the top position on the 2025 MMDA Performance League Table after a nationwide assessment of the local governance and public financial management systems of all the 261 MMDAs across the country's 16 administrative regions.
According to Ghana News Agency, the achievement was announced during a presentation of key findings and rankings by Mr. Herbert Apaloo, Programmes Manager, at a ceremony to recognize top-performing MMDAs for adherence to the Public Financial Management Act. Ghana has 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies operating across the country's 16 administrative regions. The local government units are categorized into Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, and are responsible for local governance, development planning, and delivery of basic services.
The MMDA Performance League Table forms part of a broader assessment of all 261 MMDAs aimed at measuring performance in key public financial management and governance areas, including development planning, composite budgeting, procurement and contracting, accounting and reporting, and internal and external auditing. The assessment serves as a tool for promoting accountability, transparency, and efficient service delivery at the local government level.
Bia East District Assembly placed first among the country's assemblies, followed by Nkwanta South Municipal Assembly (Oti Region) in second place and Asokwa Municipal Assembly (Ashanti Region) in third position. Krachi Nchumuru District Assembly (Oti Region) placed fourth, while North Tongu District Assembly (Volta Region) secured fifth position on the league table. Other assemblies recognized among the top ten performers were South Dayi District Assembly, Asante Akim Central Municipal Assembly, Adansi South District Assembly, Jasikan Municipal Assembly, and Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly.
Presenting the findings, Mr. Apaloo said the assessment recorded remarkable improvement in local governance performance nationwide. The national average score increased from 33 percent in 2024 to 56.2 percent in 2025, representing a significant improvement in the management of public resources and delivery of local government functions. He noted that while only 12 MMDAs scored 50 percent or more in the 2024 assessment, the number rose sharply to 153 assemblies in the 2025 assessment.
According to the findings, substantial gains were recorded in key performance areas, including composite budgeting, procurement and contracting, accounting and reporting, as well as internal and external auditing. Assemblies across most regions improved their scores compared with the previous assessment year. The report further indicated that nine regions scored above the national average in 2025, compared with four regions in the previous assessment cycle, reflecting broader improvements in local governance performance nationwide.
Mr. Apaloo attributed the positive results partly to targeted capacity-building programmes and interventions undertaken for low-performing assemblies, expressing optimism that future assessments would record even greater improvements.