Accra: Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged stakeholders to support the implementation of Ghana's decentralisation framework. She emphasized that the National Decentralisation Policy and Strategic Framework (NDPS) 2026-2030 necessitates collective commitment to transform decentralisation reforms into improved services and tangible development outcomes.
According to Ghana News Agency, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang made these remarks in Accra on Monday during the opening of the Second National Dialogue on Decentralisation and Responsive Governance, organized by the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCC). The dialogue convened regional ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), traditional leaders, local government experts, development partners, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders. It also coincided with the African Decentralisation and Local Development Day, observed annually on August 10.
The Vice President stated that stakeholder support could include technical assistance, capacity development, financing, advocacy, innovation, and active participation. She highlighted that government action alone would not suffice, emphasizing the need for collective efforts to strengthen local governance and ensure that decentralisation delivers meaningful results to communities.
The NDPS 2026-2030, approved by the government, aims 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 described the framework as more than just a policy document; it is a roadmap for building a governance system in which local institutions have the confidence, capacity, and resources to effectively respond to local needs. She mentioned that the government's commitment to decentralisation is further reinforced by its position paper on constitutional review recommendations, which seek to strengthen local governance, enhance accountability, and reinforce the democratic legitimacy of local governments.
The Vice President highlighted that the government had revitalized the IMCC and increased the proportion of the District Assemblies Common Fund transferred directly to MMDAs. Additionally, policy and legislative work is advancing to deepen functional devolution in education, health, and roads. On sanitation, she noted that recent flooding had exposed weaknesses in waste management, sanitation practices, and enforcement of environmental standards. She proposed the establishment of a District Environment, Health and Sanitation Department under the NDPS to restore operational responsibility for environmental health and sanitation to MMDAs.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang added that sanitation performance has become a key performance indicator for MMDCEs, urging that cleanliness must become a daily discipline. She called on stakeholders to measure decentralisation by its impact on citizens rather than solely by policies, structures, and functions transferred, aiming for a Ghana where local institutions have the confidence, capacity, and resources to respond to local needs, with communities actively participating in shaping development.
Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Religious Affairs, stressed the importance of stronger financial support for MMDAs to effectively bring development to local communities. He emphasized that strengthening the capacity and financing of MMDAs is critical to improving sanitation and building resilient communities. Mr. Ibrahim noted that sanitation cannot be addressed through policy alone, stressing the need for adequate resources, stronger inter-ministerial coordination, accountability, and effective project execution at the local level.
Mr. Gameli Hoedoafia, Executive Secretary of the IMCC, stated that the new phase of decentralisation must focus on democratic participation, accountable public service delivery, and accelerated local development. He called for stronger coordination, effective implementation, and measurable delivery to ensure that the framework does not remain merely a policy document. Mr. Hoedoafia urged stakeholders to measure success by the quality of services delivered and tangible improvements in communities, rather than only by functions transferred or institutions established.