District Assemblies Common Fund — national fund for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies' local development and services, with allocations for disability support and infrastructure projects.
Government will transfer more than 80 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) directly to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) as part of efforts to deepen fiscal decentralisation and strengthen local governance, the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah …
The Rural Initiatives for Self-Empowerment Ghana (RISE-Ghana) has called for an increase in the administrative expenditure cap for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) from 5% to 10% of their District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocation. …
… He further highlighted the government’s commitment to deepening fiscal decentralisation, including the transfer of over 80 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund directly to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), to strengthen local autonomy and acceler …
… The directive was issued during a ministerial tour of selected assemblies in the Greater Accra Region to assess the utilisation of funds disbursed through the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF). …
A Ghanaian citizen, Dr Yaw Twerefour, has invoked the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the allocation and disbursement of District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) monies to Members of Parliament (MPs). …
… The statement pointed out that the current allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) does not adequately address educational deprivation. …
… The project, estimated at GH¢7 million and funded through the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), is expected to be completed within 24 to 36 months. …
The District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and Wahu Mobility have announced a national electric-mobility programme to roll out 5,000 smart electric motorcycles across the country — beginning with a pilot of 280 eMotos placed across every one of Ghana’s 261 Metropolitan, Municipal …
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu announced that teachers who accept postings to rural and hard-to-reach communities will qualify for study leave with pay after two years instead of three. The government is also implementing a 20 percent salary allowance for teachers serving in deprived communities.
Why it matters
Education Minister's policy allowing rural teachers study leave after two years is a significant incentive reform addressing teacher retention.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu announced that teachers who accept postings to rural and hard-to-reach communities will qualify for study leave with pay after two years instead of three. The government is also implementing a 20 percent salary allowance for teachers serving in deprived communities.
The Ejura-Sekyeredumasi Municipal Assembly in Ashanti has distributed income-generating items, educational assistance and medical support to 136 persons with disabilities under the District Assemblies Common Fund allocation for 2025, financed through the three per cent share reserved for persons with disabilities.
The government is tightening protocols to ensure that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives regularly engage Members of Parliament on planning, budgeting and development oversight, citing Section 1(c) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 as the legal framework.
The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission has called on Ghanaians to take individual responsibility for addressing sanitation challenges, stressing that sustainable change requires active citizen participation. She noted that all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies have integrated sanitation into their Medium-Term Development Plans for 2026–2029.
The Attorney General has justified the payment of District Assemblies Common Fund monies into the personal bank accounts of Members of Parliament in an affidavit filed at the Supreme Court, arguing that the funds are monies due to MPs. This response comes in opposition to a legal challenge by Dr Yaw Twerefour, who is seeking a court order to stop the practice.
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development has warned Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives against misusing funds allocated to Persons with Disabilities, saying the money must support PWDs and improve their socio-economic well-being. The committee's chairperson, during an oversight visit to the Eastern Region, noted that some assemblies had kept disability funds idle and observed discrepancies in District Assemblies Common Fund accounts.
Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities at the 19th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at UN Headquarters in New York from June 9 to 11, 2026. The government outlined measures including a Persons with Disabilities Bill before Cabinet, increased District Assemblies Common Fund allocation from three to five per cent, expanded LEAP programme enrolment, free tertiary education for persons with disabilities, accessibility standards in building regulations, and the Digital Acceleration Project.
Ghana participated in the 19th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in New York, calling for stronger international cooperation and sustainable financing to support disability inclusion. The delegation, led by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, shared Ghana's experiences in co-designing policies with disability organisations and highlighted efforts to incorporate disability inclusion into disaster risk management, social protection and education.
The Ho West District Assembly has equipped 64 persons with disabilities with tools including freezers, sewing machines, and wheelchairs, as well as financial assistance for education and small businesses. A regional welfare official commended the assembly's use of disability funds and urged beneficiaries to achieve economic independence rather than rely on charity.
The Yilo Krobo Municipality has achieved significant infrastructure expansion and improvements in public service delivery within the first year of the NDC administration, according to the MCE. Key accomplishments include completion and commissioning of healthcare facilities, and the assembly's focus on healthcare, education, sanitation, roads, agriculture, and employment creation.
Ghana's Chief of Staff announced that more than 80 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund will be transferred directly to MMDAs to strengthen local governance, enhance assembly autonomy, and improve service delivery under the new National Decentralisation Policy and Strategic Framework 2026-2030.
RISE-Ghana has urged MMDAs to raise their District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) administrative expenditure cap from 5% to 10%, arguing that the current limit undermines local governance and contributes to recurring financial irregularities reported by the Auditor-General.
The Government of Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the National Decentralisation Policy and Strategic Framework (NDPS) 2026–2030, with the Chief of Staff meeting development partners to discuss implementation priorities and opportunities for collaboration.
Local Government Minister Ahmed Ibrahim has directed the Ayawaso Central Municipal Assembly to provide detailed records on how it spent more than GH¢400,000 allocated to persons with disabilities, after officials failed to account for the expenditure during a monitoring exercise. Preliminary records showed only GH¢126,000 had been spent despite the assembly receiving more than GH¢400,000 for disability-related interventions.
A new work by Professor Robert E. Hinson and Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, titled "Citizen Experience: Reset for Superior Civil Service Delivery," challenges Ghana's public administration to move beyond functional systems assessment toward understanding how citizens actually experience government services.
The 2025 Annual Education Policy Monitoring Report recommends increased government funding for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), noting that pre-tertiary TVET received only 2.5 per cent of the main education budget in 2025. While Eduwatch commended improvements in education financing, capitation grants, school feeding, and sanitary pad distribution, it flagged that the allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund does not adequately address educational deprivation.
Ghana's government left GH₵24 billion of its first-quarter 2026 budget unspent, spending GH₵65.97 billion of GH₵89.97 billion approved (73.3%), while total revenue and grants reached GH₵57.5 billion against a GH₵60.3 billion target. Capital expenditure suffered the largest cuts, with government spending GH₵7.3 billion of GH₵12.6 billion programmed, particularly in foreign-financed projects where only GH₵0.6 billion of GH₵5.3 billion was spent.
The Atwima Nwabiagya North District Assembly has begun construction of a 24-hour market at Asuofua, funded by the District Assemblies Common Fund at an estimated cost of GH¢7 million and expected to be completed within 24 to 36 months. The market complex will include banking facilities, storage, a fire station, clinic, day-care centre, police post, and other amenities to support trading activities and rural development.
The District Assemblies Common Fund and Wahu Mobility have announced a national electric-mobility programme beginning with a pilot of 280 smart electric motorcycles placed across Ghana's 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, as part of a longer-term strategy to roll out 5,000 units across the country.
A monitoring report by Africa Education Watch reveals measurable progress in Ghana's 2025 education policies, including improvements in capitation grants, Free SHS, school feeding, and menstrual hygiene support, but also identifies inequitable allocation of infrastructure, learning materials, and teacher deployment across 10 districts studied.
The District Assemblies Common Fund and Wahu Mobility have launched a national electric mobility programme to deploy 5,000 smart electric motorcycles across Ghana, starting with a pilot phase of 280 eMotos distributed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and Regional Coordinating Councils for improved local government service delivery.
Tendomah and Welteng in Wa West District have been connected to the national grid following the commissioning of an electricity project on May 31, 2026. The project, initiated in 2020 but stalled before being revived, is expected to improve living conditions, enhance economic activities, and support delivery of essential services in the communities.
Cabinet has approved reforms to Ghana's decentralisation system, ending the appointment of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) and instead having district chief executives elected directly by the people on a non-partisan basis. A new local governance law is expected to be laid before Parliament by the end of 2026, with the current batch of MMDCEs appointed by President John Dramani Mahama likely to be the last under the existing constitutional arrangement.
The Ashanti Regional Minister has commended the Obuasi Municipal Assembly for prudently using the District Assemblies Common Fund to execute 19 development projects over the past year. He credited the achievement to the government's revised DACF disbursement policy, under which 80 per cent of funds are released directly to local assemblies for project execution, improving efficiency and accountability.
President John Dramani Mahama declared that Ghana's economy has recovered under his administration, moving from the 11th to 8th largest economy in Africa within just over a year. He attributed the growth to prudent economic management and fiscal discipline, citing falling inflation (3.4%), stable exchange rates, and rising foreign reserves of $13.9 billion.
The Asempanaye Police Station in Offinso North District, commissioned in November 2020, has been abandoned and overtaken by weeds and animals due to disagreements between the previous administration and Ghana Police Service. The police rejected the facility because it was constructed without prior consultation and lacked critical components including an armoury, officer accommodation, and other security facilities.
Flagbearer Mahamudu Bawumia has called on Minority Members of Parliament to intensify scrutiny of the government by demanding clear data, budgets, and implementation details for every policy claim, arguing that accountability should be driven by measurable results rather than broad political promises.
The Public Interest and Accountability Committee has accused Ghana's finance ministers and Parliament of breaching the Petroleum Revenue Management Act between 2021 and 2025 by maintaining the Ghana Stabilisation Fund cap at $100 million instead of the legally required $584.22 million, which should be calculated based on average expected petroleum revenue for a three-year period.
Ghana's finance ministers breached petroleum revenue rules between 2021 and 2025 by capping the Ghana Stabilisation Fund at $100m instead of the legally required $584.22m, according to the Public Interest and Accountability Committee. The committee chair said both the finance ministers and Parliament acted unlawfully, and called on the Finance Minister to use the correct figure and Parliament to ensure compliance.