Efforts to deepen decentralisation have intensified, with the need to devolve the management of pre-tertiary education and primary health services to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to improve service delivery, accountability, and community participation.
This was the central focus of the Second Quarter Meeting of the Decentralisation Sector Working Group (DSWG), convened by the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD) on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs in Accra.
The high-level meeting brought together key government institutions and development partners supporting Ghana’s decentralisation and local governance agenda, including the Ministry of Finance, National Development Planning Commission, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Office of the Local Government Service, District Assemblies Common Fund Secretariat, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana, as well as development partners such as the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the American Embassy, among others.
The meeting was chaired by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and Chairman of the DSWG, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, and co-chaired by Her Excellency Ms. Janine Walz, Deputy Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Togo and Benin, and Head of Cooperation.
Key activities on the day included presentations on the devolution of Education and Health.
The Ministry of Education presented proposals for reform of Ghana’s pre-tertiary education system under a proposed Pre-Tertiary Education Bill, aimed at establishing a decentralised system while maintaining national standards for curriculum, policy, and quality assurance.
Under the proposed bill, District Assemblies would be responsible for the provision and maintenance of infrastructure for basic schools. District Education Offices would be restructured as departments within the Assemblies to manage kindergarten, primary, and junior high school education at the local level. Regional Coordinating Councils, through Regional Education Offices, would provide oversight for senior high schools, while the central government would retain responsibility for funding through the composite budget system.
The reforms also propose establishing a dedicated Education Service to improve coordination, efficiency, and delivery across the sector.
Health Sector Transition to Full Devolution
The Ministry of Health also presented its roadmap for transitioning Ghana’s health system from a centralised and deconcentrated structure to a fully devolved model that transfers authority, resources, and decision-making responsibilities to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
The reform is intended to strengthen primary healthcare delivery, improve accountability, and enhance community participation by integrating district health functions within local government structures.
The Ministry indicated that progress has been made, including the establishment of a Health Sector Decentralisation Committee and the preparation of an information paper to guide the reform process. However, it acknowledged that key challenges remain, including legal and institutional reforms, financing constraints, stakeholder concerns, and limited capacity at the district level.
Commitment to Coordinated Implementation
Beyond the education and health sector reforms, participants also received a presentation on the District Local Revenue (dLRev) digital platform, the government’s approved platform for revenue mobilisation at the local level to strengthen Internally Generated Fund (IGF) mobilisation across Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The minister stated that a directive has been issued to that effect, and all MMDAS are required to comply. He also stated that the use of the District Local Revenue (dLRev) platform will be one of the key benchmarks during his District Accountability Tours.
