By Daniel Bampoe
Former Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) appointed under ex-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo are preparing to picket at the Ministry of Finance this week, intensifying pressure on the government of President John Dramani Mahama over the continued non-payment of their end-of-service benefits and entitlements.
The planned protest follows months of frustration and worsening living conditions among the former local government heads, many of whom say they are no longer able to meet basic needs.
Over the weekend, former DCE Richard Amponsah, speaking on Adom FM, disclosed that some of his colleagues are struggling to pay rent, medical bills, and utility costs, while others are battling serious health conditions without the financial means to seek proper care.
The concerns were earlier formally raised by the Dean of former MMDCEs and ex-District Chief Executive for Achiase, Richmond Amponsah, who warned that the situation has reached a crisis point.
According to him, the former officials are not asking for favors, but for benefits they are legally entitled to after serving the state.
He explained that following the dismissal of Akufo-Addo-appointed MMDCEs on January 8, 2025, the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development set up a committee to compute their end-of-service benefits.
This process, he said, was initiated on the directive of the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, and based on legal advice from the Attorney-General, in line with standard public service procedures.
The committee completed its work, after which the figures were audited by the Auditor-General.
The final audited document was then submitted by the Local Government Ministry to the Ministry of Finance in July 2025 for payment.
However, despite these processes being completed, the funds have not been released.
According to Amponsah, the Chief of Staff has since issued two formal directives to both the Ministries of Local Government and Finance, instructing them to urgently facilitate payment to the former MMDCEs.
These directives, he said, have so far produced no results, leaving hundreds of former officials in prolonged uncertainty.
By January 8, 2026, it will be exactly one year since the dismissals—far beyond the usual six-month period within which end-of-service benefits are typically paid.
The former MMDCEs argue that this delay is not only unjust but historically inconsistent. They point to 2017, when the Akufo-Addo administration settled the end-of-service benefits of Mahama-appointed MMDCEs by June 2017, barely five months after they left office.
The current standoff is unfolding against a wider national debate on local government remuneration.
Recent reports indicate that the Mahama administration has approved a sharp increase in salaries for serving MMDCEs, moving from about GH₵5,000 under the Akufo-Addo government to figures reportedly as high as GH₵35,000 per month.
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