LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE 21ST
CENTUARY ; ON CORRUPTION, FRAUD AND
ETHIC
BRIEF ON GHANA LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM
PRESENTED BY
KETOR KENNETH YAOH,
PLANNING UNIT,
ACCRA METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY,
GHANA
1
GHANA IS BORDERED TO THE :
NORTH – BURKINA FASSO
SOUTH – GULF OF GUINEA
WEST
– COTE D’IVOIRE
EAST
– REP. OF TOGO
GHANA COVERS A LAND AREA OF
238,533KM2
AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE 21OC –
33OC
POPULATION OF GHANA IS 24.6M
IT IS HOME TO MORE THAN 100
DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS (AKAN –
48%, EWE, GA-ADAGME, GONJA,
MAMPRUSI, MOLE DAGBANI ETC …)
POPULAR STABLE FOODS : FUFU, AKPLE,
TUO ZAAFI
2

THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IS MOUNT
AFADZATO (830M)

THE LARGEST RIVER IS RIVER VOLTA
WHICH IS HOME TO THE LARGEST MAN
MADE LAKE IN THE WORLD LAKE VOLTA

GHANA IS A UNITARY STATE WITH
MULTIPARTY DEMOCRACY

SHE IS THE FIRST SUB-SAHARA NATION
TO GAIN INDEPENDENCE 0N 6TH MARCH,
1957
3

Before independence, the Colonial master
(British) used the indirect rule
 Use of traditional authority (Chief)
 They were used as channels of communication
 They were used to collect tolls from the local
people

The current decentralisation programme
started in 1988
4

Ghana has a three tier
Municipal and District and a
four tier Metropolitan Assembly
System

Ghana is divided into Ten
administrative Regions (known
as Regional Coordinating
Councils [RCCs])

RRCs supervise the
Metropolitan, Municipal and
District Assemblies (MMDAs)
5
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
TEN REGIONAL COORDINATING COUNCILS
METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY
(ABOVE 250,00)
MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY
(95,000-250,000)
DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
(75,000 – 95,000)
URBAN COUNCIL
ZONAL COUNCIL
SUB-METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
COUNCIL
TOWN COUNCIL
UNIT COMMITTEE
6

There are (170)216
Metropolitan, Municipal
and District Assemblies
(MMDA)

An MMDA is the highest
local political authority

They have legislative,
executive and deliberative
functions
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1.
District Chief Executive (Appointed by the
President and approved by 2/3 of members
present and voting)
2.
Two-Third Elected Assembly Members
representing each Electoral Area
3.
30% Government Appointees
4.
Members of Parliament from the District
Speaker of the Assembly is known as Presiding
Member elected by 2/3 of all members
8

In the performance of its functions, the Assembly works
through the Executive and its subsidiary Committees.

The Executive Committee (Metropolitan Authority)
performs the executive functions of the Assembly

Metropolitan Authority is composed of not more than 1/3
of the total membership of the Assembly excluding the
Presiding Member .

The meetings of the Metropolitan Authority are presided
over by the Metropolitan Chief Executive

Presiding Member chairs the Public Relations Complain
Committe .
9

There are Subsidiary Committees of the Metropolitan
Authority.

Mandatory ones are;
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Finance and Administration,
Development Planning,
Works,
Social Services,
Education,
Environmental Management
Revenue Mobilization
Assemblies have the authority to established more SubCommittee
10

Each Sub-Metro consists of between 25 and 30 members made up of
all elected members of the Assembly in the Sub-Metro and such other
persons resident in the Sub-Metro appointed by the Regional Minister
acting on behalf of the President.

There are Town Councils within each Sub-Metro and each Town
Council made up of not more than 5 persons elected from among the
members of the Assembly and not more than 10 representatives from
Unit Committees which are within the Town Councils.

The Unit Committee made up of 5 elected persons ordinarily resident
in the Unit and not more than 5 persons resident in the unit and
nominated by the Metropolitan Chief Executive acting on behalf of the
President.
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METRO – 16
MUN. = 13
DIST = 11
MMDCE
MMDCD
MMDPCU (MPMDO = Secretary)
Internal
Audit
Admin, Plan. &
Budget Sectors
Central
Administr
ation
Dept.
SW &
CD
Dept.
District
Health
Dept.
Records
Estate,
Loges
SW
Section
Procuremen
t
HR Mgt
Adminis
tration
Store
Planning
MIS
Basic
Education
Unit
Infrastructure
Sector
Social Sector
Education,
Youth &
Sports Dept.
CD
Section
Library
Youth
section
Section Sports
Section
Non-Formal
Education
Unit
Works
Dept.
Urban
Roads Physical
Dept. Planning
Dept.
T&CP
Section
Trade,
Industry
&Tourism
Dept.
Coop
Section
Transport
Dept.
R. Birth &
Death
Section
Agric
Dept.
Tourism
Cottage Section
Industry
Section
Food &
Nutrition
Disaster
Preventio
n Dept.
Waste
Natural
Mgt.
Resources
Dept. Conservation
NADMO
Section
Fire
Section
Internal
Disaster
P&G
Section
Enviro
n
Health
Animal Health
and
Production
Section
Financial Sector
Environmental
Sector
Economic Sector
Building Water Feeder
section Section Roads
(Works & R.
Section
Housing)
DMOH
Section
Educatio
n Section
PAU (Public Affairs Unit)
Crop
Services
Section
Agric
Engineerin
g Section
Agric
Extension
Section
Treasury
Budget &
Rating
Dept.
Legal
Departmen
t
Revenue
Mobilizatio
n
Refugee
Section
Forestry
Section
Fisheries
Section
Finance
Dept.
Game
&
Wildlif
e
Section
12
THE DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES ARE THE HIGHEST POLITICAL AUTHORITY IN DISTRICT.
THE FUNCTIONS OF THE ASSEMBLIES ARE DELIBERATIVE, LEGISLATIVE AND
EXECUTIVE. SECTION 10 OF ACT 462 SPELLS OUT EXTENSIVELY THEIR FUNCTIONS
1.
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT (METROPOLIS)
2.
EFFECTIVE MOBILIZATION AND UTILIZATION OF HUMAN, PHYSICAL FINANCIAL
RESOURCES FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
3.
DEVELOPMENT, IMPROVEMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
4.
MAINTENANCE OF SECURITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY
5.
ENSURE ACCESS TO THE COURTS IN THE DISTRICT FOR THE PROMOTION OF
JUSTICE
13

Local governance has led to popular
participation in decision making by the grass
root people through;
 Public hearing
 Community Consultation
 Community technical interface
Community involvement in decision making has
become one of the major criteria for assessing
Assembly’s performance
14

Accountability on the part of duty bearers
 Platform for checking corruption
 Medium for promoting good ethic with public
administration
Public accountability has also become one of
condition for assessing Metropolitan and
Municipal Assemblies under Urban
Development Grant (UDG)
15

Improvement in distribution of national wealth and
development
 District Assembly Common Fund (DACF)
 Geo-social development fund / projects eg SADA
 Socio-economic facilities and infrastructure (District
Hospital, Polytechnics etc)
 Performance based resource allocation (DDF/ UDG)

Community and citizen contribution towards
development of their local areas

Empowerment of the youth and also serves as the
basis for capacity building
16

Non regularized payment of Assembly
Members (Councilors)

Poor financial status of MMDAs and poor
infrastructure

Perceived poor conditions of service of staff

Bureaucracy and political interference
17

District Assembly Common Fund

Performance Assessment through
Functional Organzational Assessment Tool
(FOAT) / DDF and UDG

Establishment of Local Government Service
to improve human capacity of Districts

Composite Budgeting
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Local Government is a system which requires
collective efforts of all stakeholders, both
local and international, to address the bias of
development as a result of centralized
governance. Though, decentralization is an
ancient system of governance, the world is yet
to fully surmount its challenges .
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
Platforms such as these serve as the avenue
to exchange experiences from various
countries and learn other from each other.

We, from Ghana, are grateful for the
opportunity to be part of this experience
and will take knowledge gained here back
home.
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THANK YOU
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