More than half of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) did not pass a recent performance assessment conducted by government.

This was made known by the Local Government Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, April 20.

Mr Ibrahim explained that out of the 261 assemblies assessed, only 118 met the benchmark, while 143 failed.

“Because of that, all the donor partners who were supporting Ghana’s decentralisation said if you can’t help yourself, we will not help you. I am happy to announce to you that in 2025, we were able to reset the decentralisation concept of the district assemblies in 2024, and in the assessment, out of the 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies, 143 of them failed and 118 of them passed. The passed mark was 36/100,” he added.

Last year, President Mahama warned that MMDCEs who do not live up to expectations shall be sacked following the assessment exams.

“The Minister of Finance is about to release the first quarter of the District Assemblies Common Fund. As I said, 80% of the money is going directly to the regions for you to decide how to use it. So, MMDCEs, you have no excuse.

“We will send you the guidelines, approved at the last Cabinet meeting, to show how the funds should be disbursed. This will serve as your Key Performance Indicators. Every year, we will assess your performance, and based on that, we will decide whether you stay or go,” he said.

Meanwhile, the government has pledged a minimum of ₵25 million each to all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies across the country this year.

The Fund is to support district assemblies in executing their duties in the regions.

The president made this known at an orientation and training programme held in Accra on Wednesday, June 18.

“This year, every assembly—from the largest to the smallest—will receive not less than GH₵25 million. The NDC manifesto outlines a bold and people-centred agenda that puts local government at the heart of national development. You are the first line of the economy,” he stated.

The government earlier announced the distribution of 80% of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) to MMDCEs.

The remaining 20% of the fund, he noted, will be designated for projects managed by agencies such as the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), ensuring continued support for critical national initiatives.

In a separate development, President John Dramani Mahama has shared that his government, in the coming years, will allow citizens to elect the next Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

He explained that this is to allow citizens to have a direct say in choosing their local leaders.

Addressing the MMDCEs during an orientation and training programme on Wednesday, July 18, in Accra, he noted that the upcoming system will be dependent on the recommendations by the National Review committee established by the government.

“MMDCEs, you may be the last batch of MMDCEs appointed. The National Review committee is going round and will present its recommendation in August this year, and one of the major items that has come up is the election of the MMDCEs. There is no doubt that Ghanaians want the MMDCEs elected. Those who succeed you might have to go through elections,” he stated.

President Mahama further called on all MMDCEs to declare their assets by July 15.

"I wish to remind you that you are among the office holders required to declare your assets, and so I expect that by July 15, all of you will have declared your assets," he said.

The legal framework guiding asset declaration is the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550). The Act mandates public officials to declare their assets before assuming office, every four years, and at the end of their term, submitting the forms no later than six months after any of these events.

Importantly, Section 8 of the Act provides that allegations of non-compliance must be referred to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), which is empowered to investigate and take appropriate action.

President John Dramani Mahama submitted his asset declaration forms to the Auditor General on February 18 and issued a firm order to his appointees to follow suit by March, warning of sanctions for defaulters.

A report by The Fourth Estate revealed that several high-ranking officials have yet to fulfill their constitutional obligations. Out of 55 ministers and deputy ministers, nine have failed to declare their assets.

Additionally, eight out of 32 presidential staffers and 37 out of 84 heads of state institutions appointed between January 15 and March 18 had not complied with the president’s directive.

On May 6, the president sanctioned his appointees who missed the March 31 deadline by directing them to forfeit their three months' salary, which he noted will be channeled into the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as The MahamaCares, a landmark initiative aimed at providing financial assistance to individuals living with chronic diseases across the country.

He gave a May 7 ultimatum, emphasizing that any official who fails to meet the deadline will be sacked. As no government official has been relieved of his or her duties, it is believed that all government officials have declared their assets.In the meantime, civil society groups and anti-corruption advocates have supported the full publication of asset declarations as a means to promote integrity and accountability.

Meanwhile, Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has expressed his opposition to the declaration of assets by government officials as mandated by the Public Office Holders Act.

Justifying his opposition, he indicated such an initiative puts public officers in a position where they expose themselves to unnecessary attention and potential threats against their lives and their loved ones.

“I do not and I will not add my voice to calls for the publication of assets for public scrutiny. In our experience, it will be unhelpful and would merely subject public officers to inordinate public curiosity and a specter of the real likelihood of reprisals against the assets,” he said.

To him, fighting corruption effectively in the country requires striking a balance between transparency and the protection of individual rights.

“In my estimation, publication of who has declared or has not declared his assets in the context of a workable asset verification and treason model would be sufficient to assure the integrity of the asset declaration system,” he added.