Prof Ahwoi outlines reform action plan for Ghana's local government
By DL News
Published
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He called for the revival of the Inter-ministerial Coordinating Committee to support the decentralization process in Ghana.
Professor Kwamena Ahwoi, a local government expert, has outlined a 15-point action plan aimed at shaping the future of Ghana's democratic decentralization.
He called for the revival of the Inter-ministerial Coordinating Committee to support the decentralization process in Ghana.
During his inaugural annual lecture in Accra last Thursday, He suggested that the committee, led by the President, should oversee policy formulation and its implementation.
Having previously chaired the task force that developed the Local Government Law, 1988 (PNDCL 207), Prof. Ahwoi emphasized the need to address the growing polarisation in national politics.
He noted that key amendments to the 1992 Constitution are necessary to ensure a smooth transition to a partisan local government system. One significant point of discussion is the election of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
Prof. Ahwoi explained that these officials could be elected without requiring the district assembly system to become partisan.
Speaking on the theme, "Decentralisation, Local Governance, and Local Development in Ghana: The Past, Present, and Future," he questioned whether the responsibility for sponsoring candidates in local government elections should remain with the state or shift to political parties under a partisan system. He proposed that a simple constitutional amendment could resolve this issue.
Prof. Ahwoi also highlighted setbacks in the journey towards fiscal decentralization, particularly the capping of the District Assembly Common Fund by recent governments. He contrasted this with earlier governments that had increased the fund from 5% to 7.5% of total national revenue. Looking forward, he called for the restoration of the fund to 7.5% or potentially increasing it to 10%.
To achieve this, he suggested convening a national stakeholder conference on decentralization, similar to what was done by the late President John Evans Atta Mills in 2009-2010.
