By Issah Olegor
The Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Michael Harry Yamson, has disclosed that 1,587 development projects funded through the Common Fund across Ghana cannot be traced on the ground, raising fresh concerns about accountability and the management of public funds under the previous administration.
According to Yamson, the startling discovery emerged from an ongoing nationwide project verification exercise involving projects financed through the District Assemblies Common Fund.
Out of 4,767 projects inspected so far, investigators have found that 1,587 projects do not exist, despite records indicating that public funds had been allocated for their execution.
The revelation represents one of the most significant findings in recent years regarding the management of the Common Fund, a constitutional mechanism established to finance development projects and improve infrastructure in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
Yamson made the disclosure while addressing Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) during the opening of a regional meeting held at Dzolo-Kpuita in the Ho West District of the Volta Region.
He explained that the verification exercise forms part of broader efforts by the current administration to promote transparency, strengthen accountability and ensure that every cedi released from the Common Fund results in visible and verifiable development projects.
According to him, preliminary findings indicate that many of the projects recorded under the previous administration cannot be physically identified, raising serious questions about the utilisation of public resources.
“The findings emerged from a recent exercise to trace projects financed through the Common Fund, and out of the projects inspected so far, 1,587 have been found not to exist,” he disclosed.
Yamson stressed that public funds allocated for development should never exist merely on paper, insisting that communities must be able to see and benefit from projects financed through the Common Fund.
He said the District Assemblies Common Fund remains one of the country’s most important instruments for promoting equitable development, decentralisation and local governance, adding that effective management of the fund is essential to improving livelihoods and accelerating socio-economic development across the country.
To prevent future irregularities, the Administrator announced that new accountability and monitoring measures have been introduced to improve transparency in the administration of the fund.
He explained that the reforms are intended to ensure that all projects financed through the Common Fund are properly monitored, documented and verified before payments are made.
Beyond concerns over missing projects, Yamson also challenged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to strengthen the mobilisation of Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to reduce their dependence on transfers from central government.
According to him, although government has already released 80 percent of the District Assemblies Common Fund allocation, assemblies must not rely solely on these transfers if they are to accelerate development in their jurisdictions.
He urged local authorities to explore innovative strategies, including the use of technology, to improve revenue mobilisation and expand their financial base.
“We can no longer depend solely on central transfers, and any resources available to the assemblies must be optimised through the use of technology,” he stated.
The Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, also addressed the gathering and called on the assemblies to utilise the released Common Fund allocations prudently and efficiently.
He noted that with 80 percent of the Common Fund already disbursed, there should be no justification for delays in implementing development projects across the region.
Gunu encouraged the assemblies to adopt innovative approaches to stimulate local economic growth, create employment opportunities and improve service delivery.
He further advised the assemblies to strengthen partnerships with non-governmental organisations and development partners to attract additional resources for community development.
