BY Grace Zigah
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has initiated a far-reaching restructuring of the local governance system following the submission of a landmark report that recommends the upgrading of 12 municipalities to metropolitan status, the elevation of one district directly into a metropolis, and the transformation of 20 districts into municipalities.
The proposals were contained in a report presented to the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs by the Committee for the Elevation of Districts and Municipalities, chaired by Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, who also serves as National Chairman of the NDC.
The committee was tasked by government to comprehensively assess the status, growth patterns, governance capacity, and development needs of districts and municipalities across the country.
Addressing a panel during the presentation of the report, Asiedu Nketiah explained that the committee’s work went beyond administrative reclassification.
He stated that the committee found it necessary to recommend the upgrading of 12 existing municipalities into metropolises, alongside one district being elevated straight to metropolitan status due to what he described as “very compelling” development and administrative factors.
In addition, 20 districts were recommended for upgrade into municipal status, based on population growth, urbanisation trends, service demand, and governance capacity.
However, the report places strong emphasis on systemic reform, not just administrative elevation.
According to the committee, the upgrade proposals are part of a broader strategy to strengthen local governance, decentralisation, and development planning, arguing that structural weaknesses in the current system have limited the effectiveness of local government over the years.
Asiedu Nketiah indicated that the committee deliberately introduced recommendations that would make future upgrades automatic rather than political, stressing that if the proposed reforms are implemented, future district and municipal elevations would occur based on objective criteria and development benchmarks, not special committees or discretionary decisions.
One of the key recommendations is for the ministry to prepare a standard national manual to guide all future upgrades of districts, municipalities, and metropolises.
This manual would provide uniform criteria, procedures, and benchmarks for classification, ensuring consistency, transparency, and institutional clarity in the decentralisation process.
The committee also recommended the development of a strategic national development plan for districts, designed to address structural inequalities and capacity gaps.
This plan would include special development interventions targeted at promoting investment, economic growth, and sustainable development, particularly in emerging urban areas and fast-growing districts.
These proposals come against the backdrop of Ghana’s long-standing decentralisation policy, rooted in the 1992 Constitution, which established local government as a cornerstone of democratic governance and development. Since the early 1990s, successive governments have created new districts and upgraded administrative units in response to population growth and urban expansion.
However, the process has often attracted criticism over politicisation, weak capacity at the local level, inadequate financing, and the absence of clear national standards for elevation.
The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs is now expected to subject the report to technical review before forwarding it to Cabinet for policy consideration and implementation planning.
If adopted, the proposals would mark one of the most significant reforms of the decentralised governance structure in recent history, redefining the administrative hierarchy of districts, municipalities, and metropolises while reshaping how local development is planned and delivered nationwide.
