The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs has announced a fresh list of District Chief Executive (DCE) nominees, subject to approval by their respective district assemblies.
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This latest round of nominations includes candidates from the Bono East, Bono, Upper West, Western, and Central Regions, as well as others from the Upper East, Northern, and Ashanti Regions.
The appointments form part of the government’s continued effort to strengthen local governance by filling key leadership roles across the country.
Nominees will officially take office upon securing approval from their respective assemblies.
The new list of nominees can be viewed here.
What is Mahama’s vision for local government?
During his campaign to be president, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party leader asserted that the Akufo-Addo administration had re-centralised local government, resulting in late and insufficient transfer of resources, poor local-level participation, insufficient financial flows and weak and non-performing assemblies.
His manifesto ahead of the 2024 election pledged to decentralise local government with new policies like paying monthly consolidated allowances to all Assembly members.
The Mahama administration also wants to strengthen local-level participation through the election of district chief executives on a non-partisan basis by amending articles 243 and 246 (2) of the 1992 Constitution.
Structure of local government in Ghana
The assemblies serve as the highest units of local government in Ghana, categorised into three types: metropolitan, municipal, and district.
There are also sub-district political and administrative structures which are subordinate bodies of the assemblies.
These include sub-metropolitan, district, urban, town, zonal and area councils and unit committees. They perform functions assigned to them by law or delegated to them by the assemblies.
Local government is enshrined in the constitution (Article 241/3), as is decentralisation (Article 240/2).
Article 35(5d) requires the state ‘to take appropriate measures to ensure decentralisation in administrative and financial machinery of government and to give opportunities to people to participate in decision-making at every level in national life and government’.
The constitution also establishes the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and provides that ‘not less than 5% of the total revenues of Ghana’ be paid into it for use in district assembly capital works.
MMDCEs sacked by Mahama
DollarMan News reported that Mahama terminated the appointments of all Chief Executives for Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies from the Akufo-Addo era back in January.
The directors of the various districts were expected to take over as the local government heads in their respective districts in the interim.
The president also revoked the appointments of Assembly Members appointed under the Akufo-Addo administration.
Mahama is yet to appoint new heads of the various local governments.
