Accra: The Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCC) has initiated discussions with the Ministry of Roads and Highways to enhance the coordination and operational efficiency of devolved road sector responsibilities across the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana. This effort aligns with Ghana's broader decentralisation framework, aiming to intensify the implementation of devolved departments at the local level.
According to Ghana News Agency, the ongoing consultations aim to clarify the functional assignments, streamline institutional arrangements, and strengthen coherence between central sector agencies and local government structures. This is in line with the legal and policy frameworks guiding decentralisation reforms in the country. A statement from the IMCC highlighted that this initiative represents a deliberate policy effort to increase accountability, promote subsidiarity, and improve the responsiveness of road infrastructure planning, implementation, and maintenance to local development priorities.
The statement further explained that the initiative seeks to ensure that road sector management at the sub-national level is effectively integrated within the broader local governance system. This integration is expected to enhance service delivery and territorial development outcomes. The discussions also cover strategies for devolving selected road functions to assemblies based on agreed road classifications, while ensuring that these assemblies possess the capacity and resources to manage and maintain their road infrastructure effectively.
Dr. Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, the Executive Secretary of the IMCC, emphasized the significance of the road sector in achieving the goals of Ghana's decentralisation agenda. He noted that the country has faced structural issues in local governance for years, and recent reforms aim to address long-standing institutional gaps. He added that the National Decentralisation Policy 2026-2030 proposes the establishment of a roads department in every district, moving away from the current system of having separate feeder and urban roads departments.
Dr. Hoedoafia argued that local authorities are better positioned to address community needs due to their direct knowledge and information, which national-level actors may lack. He stressed that while the Ministry will continue to handle policy formulation, monitoring, and evaluation, implementation should not remain overly centralised. He mentioned that the President supports decentralisation as a means of ensuring equitable development and ownership of local priorities for efficient service delivery.
Dr. Hoedoafia expressed confusion over why some decision-makers remain at the centre, making decisions that impact local communities. Meanwhile, Mr. Kwame Governs Agbodza, the Minister for Roads and Highways, welcomed the engagement and described the conversation as overdue. He noted that while urban roads were placed under local government years ago, a thorough evaluation of the arrangement's effectiveness has yet to be conducted. The Minister also pointed out that many functions that should be managed locally are still handled at the national level and that road agencies lack the technical capacity to fully execute their mandates, including design work.