By: Rachel Quartey & Rukayatu Musah
Vice President (Veep) Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has stressed the need for Ghana’s decentralisation programme to deliver practical results that improve the lives of citizens and promote development at the local level.
According to her, the effectiveness of decentralisation should not be measured solely by the policies and structures put in place, but by the extent to which they translate into improved public services, stronger local economies and better welfare for citizens.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang made the remarks when she chaired a meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee (IMCC) on Decentralisation at Peduase Lodge.
She said the IMCC must ensure that the public is carried along in the decentralisation process, stressing the need for greater public education and engagement to enable citizens to understand the programme, its objectives and how it affects them.
The Executive Secretary of the IMCC, Dr. Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, said the Committee was reviewing progress made in Ghana’s decentralisation programme and considering measures to strengthen its implementation.
He highlighted the importance of the Local Government Act in providing the legal basis for local governance and decentralisation, stressing the need for institutions involved in the process to work within a coordinated framework.
Dr. Hoedoafia also pointed to ongoing efforts to improve coordination across sectors with implications for local development, including roads, housing and other areas of public service delivery.
The meeting further reviewed progress recorded under the decentralisation programme and identified areas requiring additional action to improve implementation.
Background
The meeting comes after Cabinet in May 2026 approved the new National Decentralisation Policy and Strategic Framework (NDPS), providing a renewed national framework for the implementation of decentralisation.
The policy framework is intended to guide the government’s approach to decentralisation and provide a common direction for institutions involved in local governance.
The IMCC on Decentralisation serves as a mechanism for coordinating the implementation of the government’s decentralisation agenda across ministries, departments and agencies.
The Committee brings together relevant government institutions to review progress in decentralisation, address implementation challenges and ensure that the various components of the programme are effectively coordinated.
