Veep urges stakeholders to support decentralisation policy implementation
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged stakeholders to support implementation of Ghana’s decentralisation framework.
Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has called on stakeholders to back Ghana's decentralisation policy for improved local governance and services. She emphasized the importance of collective effort in translating decentralisation reforms into tangible development outcomes. Opoku-Agyemang opened the Second National Dialogue on Decentralisation and Responsive Governance, attended by regional ministers, MMDCEs, traditional leaders, experts, development partners, and civil society organisations.
The dialogue, which coincided with African Decentralisation and Local Development Day, aimed to strengthen local governance, improve public service delivery, and accelerate development through the National Decentralisation Policy and Strategic Framework (NDPS) 2026-2030. The Vice President highlighted the need for technical assistance, capacity development, financing, advocacy, innovation, and active participation from stakeholders to support decentralisation reforms.
She stressed that government action alone would not suffice and urged stakeholders to measure decentralisation by its impact on citizens. The NDPS seeks to deepen local governance, strengthen local institutions, enhance citizen participation, and ensure accountability. Opoku-Agyemang also addressed sanitation challenges, stating that recent flooding exposed weaknesses in waste management and environmental standards.
The proposed District Environment, Health and Sanitation Department under the NDPS aims to restore operational responsibility for environmental health and sanitation to MMDAs. The Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, called for stronger financial support for MMDAs to effectively deliver development to local communities.
He emphasized the critical need for adequate resources, inter-ministerial coordination, accountability, and effective project execution at the local level to improve sanitation and build resilient communities.
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