Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies — local government bodies responsible for sanitation, development projects, and service delivery across Ghana's 261 jurisdictions.
The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has rejected claims that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are responsible for the failure to desilt major storm drains, insisting that the responsibility lies with t …
… Dr Siaw Agyepong said Zoomlion, working with the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and other stakeholders, had significantly expanded its operations across the Greater Accra Region. …
… He pointed to the role of law enforcement agencies and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), saying these bodies must be empowered and held accountable for ensuring compliance. …
… Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, July 11, Mr Mercer said the government had ample warning ahead of the rainy season but failed to organise nationwide clean-up exercises or release funds to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to desilt drains. …
… e, Dominic Aduna Bingab Nitiwul, has urged the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, to reconsider the decision to terminate Zoomlion Ghana Limited’s waste management contract, arguing that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies …
… Paragraph 139 of the Ministry of Finance’s Budget Preparation Guidelines and Section 30 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) leave no room for interpretation: Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) must commit at least 20 per cent of their Inter …
… The Association also directed its Regional, District and Municipal executives to work closely with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), security agencies, institutional heads and waste management teams to ensure effective mobilisation for the exercise. …
… Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr Adu Asare said Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have focused mainly on issuing stop-work notices to developers instead of implementing comprehensive planning measures for communities. …
President John Dramani Mahama has proposed a stronger partnership between traditional authorities and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to improve accountability and ensure effective implementation of development projects. …
… According to him, although Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have engaged registered waste management companies to provide sanitation services, many residents continue to rely on Aboboya operators because their services are cheaper. …
Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga pledged to push Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to take full responsibility for sanitation in their jurisdictions, noting that the 261 assemblies already have legal authority, funding sources and enforcement powers to manage sanitation without excuses for inaction.
Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga pledged to push Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to take full responsibility for sanitation in their jurisdictions, noting that the 261 assemblies already have legal authority, funding sources and enforcement powers to manage sanitation without excuses for inaction.
The Central Regional Minister commended Gomoa Central District Assembly for effectively utilising its 20 per cent Common Fund to complete legacy projects in health, education and other development areas. Funds for the first and second quarters of 2026 have been released to district assemblies to support projects in health, education, roads, water and other development areas.
The Minister of Local Government announced that waste management will no longer be financed through public funds; instead, sanitation rates owed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies will be paid and utilised. The Ghanaian Times supports this shift, arguing that households, businesses and property owners should pay for the waste they generate rather than relying on government subsidies.
Zoomlion Ghana Limited has begun a week-long disinfection and disinfestation exercise across all 15 municipalities and districts in the Upper East Region to prevent disease outbreaks during the rainy season, targeting public spaces and sanitation facilities including public toilets, markets, schools, and health facilities.
Zoomlion Ghana Limited, in collaboration with MMDAs in the Ahafo Region, has stepped up disinfection and disinfestation activities targeting public facilities including markets, schools, public toilets, and dumpsites to improve environmental sanitation and protect public health.
Professor Joseph Atsu Ayee says frequent changes in political leadership and weak institutional capacity at MMDAs have disrupted decentralisation implementation and made local governance less responsive, despite legal frameworks being in place. He called for constitutional reforms to strengthen MMDA autonomy, accountability and effectiveness.
The Municipal Environmental Health Officer for Ayawaso North has stressed that post-flood disinfection and disinfestation exercises are vital to prevent disease outbreaks, noting that floodwaters carry contaminated material from public toilets, septic tanks, drains and waste sites. Zoomlion Ghana Limited is conducting a regional disinfection programme across Greater Accra in partnership with local assemblies to reduce disease-causing organisms, flies, mosquitoes and other health threats.
The Municipal Environmental Health Officer for Ayawaso North in Greater Accra has emphasized the importance of post-flood disinfection and disinfestation to protect public health, noting that floodwaters pass through contaminated areas before spreading into communities. Zoomlion Ghana Limited is conducting disinfection exercises across Greater Accra in partnership with local assemblies following recent flooding, targeting disease-causing organisms and disease vectors.
A KNUST planning researcher argues Ghana must adopt compact urban development and strengthen land-use planning to address perennial flooding, uncontrolled sprawl, and rising infrastructure costs caused by largely unplanned horizontal expansion that converts agricultural lands and wetlands into residential areas.
A database of 65 Auditor-General reports from 2010 to 2025 across five audit streams shows Ghana flagged a combined US$19.96 billion (GH¢129.8 billion) in financial irregularities in public accounts, with the NPP accounting for $16.22 billion across 40 reports and the NDC for $3.74 billion.
A study of 600 Ghanaian businesses by the Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation found that 28.2 per cent of micro enterprises surveyed transitioned fully to medium scale, while 44.64 per cent moved to small enterprise status. The research attributed the low transition rates to structural, financial and regulatory barriers, including multiple compliance layers and licensing requirements that discouraged expansion.
The President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana has warned that local government officials risk losing public confidence if they fail to deliver visible development and accountable leadership. Citizens now expect tangible improvements in roads, sanitation, healthcare, education and other services rather than political promises.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has told Chief Directors of Regional Coordinating Councils that the success of Ghana's decentralisation policy depends on them, as they coordinate Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and must translate government policies into visible improvements in water, electricity, and roads for citizens.
Friends of Rivers and Waterbodies has urged the government to take urgent steps to protect road reservations across the country, warning that widespread encroachment by developers and informal traders is increasing infrastructure costs and threatening sustainable urban planning. The group's president stated that encroachment is happening nationwide, with structures being built on spaces designated for utilities, pedestrian walkways, drainage systems, and future expansion.
The Oforikrom Municipal Assembly has assumed control of several abandoned development projects, allocating 20 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund to their completion. The projects, including a municipal administration block, court complex, and public facilities, had stalled due to delayed central government payments under the previous administration.
The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA) has intensified engagement with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to strengthen community-based approaches to preventing armed violence. NACSA conducted sensitisation programmes in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and Asuogyaman District focusing on illicit small arms proliferation, Ghana's firearms regulatory framework, and the role of elected representatives in promoting responsible firearm ownership and preventing violence.
Zoomlion Ghana Limited has assured workers under the MMDA Fumigation Project that outstanding salary arrears will be paid once the company receives necessary funds, attributing delays to late release of project funds and saying the situation is exceptional in its 15-year record of consistent payments.
The government launched the National Urban Policy (2026–2035) and National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy (2026–2035) to address flooding, housing shortages, congestion and unplanned settlements. A review of the previous urban policy, introduced in 2012, showed implementation reached only about 50 per cent of its intended outcomes, with gaps in affordable housing, urban financing, research, data systems and institutional coordination.
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang engaged with Ghanaians in Potomac, Maryland, acknowledging their role in the national economy. She highlighted the government's efforts to stabilise macroeconomic conditions, citing improved economic growth, eased inflation, and currency stability.
Atiwa East MP Abena Osei Asare has called on the government to redirect public funds toward projects with direct impact on people's lives rather than simply spending money. She said government officials should engage with citizens directly, noting that official economic figures do not reflect the realities facing ordinary Ghanaians.
The Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability has warned that erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells, and failing crops in the Upper West Region threaten livelihoods and human survival, urging Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to take the lead in climate adaptation and mitigation projects. The Upper West Regional Minister challenged district leaders to integrate climate action into their development plans and budgets as an economic and governance emergency.
A Joy Online opinion piece argues that in Ghana, disasters are often treated as political opportunities rather than investigations into systemic failures, with politicians using scenes of sympathy and relief distribution to generate goodwill while underlying causes of floods, fires, and collapses remain unresolved.
The Energy Commission has completed a nationwide capacity-building programme for local government officers aimed at integrating energy efficiency requirements into Ghana's building permit and development control processes. The programme, supported by UNEP and the Ministry of Local Government, equipped participants from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to serve as Energy Efficiency Champions within their respective assemblies.
The Energy Commission has concluded a nationwide training programme for local government officers aimed at integrating energy efficiency requirements into Ghana's building permit and development control processes. The training, supported by UNEP and the Ministry of Local Government, equipped participants to serve as Energy Efficiency Champions within their respective assemblies.
The Center for Local Governance Advocacy has called on all 261 MMDAs to review their 2025 Public Financial Management Compliance League Table results and implement time-bound improvement plans. The 2025 assessment recorded a national compliance score of 56.20%, exceeding the 50% benchmark, with coverage improving to 100% across all 16 regions.
Ghana Environmental Health Practitioners Association has called for an Environmental Health Council to regulate professional standards, licensing, accreditation and ethics within the profession. The Association also urged government to strengthen the environmental health workforce by recruiting and deploying qualified graduates to address staffing shortages across Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
A World Bank report on sustainable cities in Ghana finds the country requires an estimated $37.2 billion annually to fund infrastructure needs in energy, telecommunications, transport, and water—a gap that exceeds current government capital expenditure by almost 40 times—raising concerns about accommodating rapid urban growth and sustaining economic development.
Flooding in Greater Accra has cost over GHS 6.3 billion between 2015 and 2025, with damage to SMEs, public infrastructure, and residential property, while Ghana loses an estimated USD 200 million annually to natural disasters. The article argues that the persistence of these losses demonstrates flooding is fundamentally a governance challenge requiring coordinated institutional action rather than merely an environmental problem.
Flooding in Ghana's Greater Accra Metropolitan Area has become a recurring governance crisis, causing economic losses exceeding GHS 6.3 billion between 2015 and 2025, with damages to SMEs, public infrastructure, and residential property. The article examines how fragmented institutional responsibilities undermine coordinated flood management responses.
Urban flooding in Ghana, particularly Greater Accra, has become a persistent governance crisis rather than a seasonal event. Between 2015 and 2025, flooding in Greater Accra caused economic losses exceeding GH₵ 6.3 billion, with the article arguing that fragmented institutional mandates and lack of coordinated action perpetuate the problem.