The Minority in Parliament has dismissed remarks by Professor Kwamena Ahwoi on Ghana’s decentralization process, describing his views as misleading and politically skewed.
Prof Ahwoi, a former Minister for Local Government, recently told participants at the National Dialogue on Decentralization and Responsive Governance that the creation of new regions and districts was excessive and unnecessary.
He argued that Ghana had survived with ten regions for over five decades and questioned the adherence to population requirements in creating Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
But in a statement signed by Francis Asenso-Boakye, Ranking Member of the Committee on Local Government and Decentralisation on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 the Minority said Prof Ahwoi’s submissions failed to reflect the true purpose and achievements of Ghana’s decentralisation agenda.
According to the Minority, decentralisation is about strengthening local governance and ensuring equitable development, not simply maintaining existing structures.
To describe these initiatives as counterproductive fails to appreciate the essence of decentralisation itself,” the statement said, stressing that the creation of new regions and districts was a deliberate policy to bring government closer to the people.
The Minority strongly rejected Prof. Ahwoi’s suggestion that the creation of six new regions between 2018 and 2019 was an “overreach.” They argued that the expansion was never about survival, but about “facilitating growth, inclusion, and accelerated development.”
They noted that the regions have since attracted new infrastructure, opened access to social services, and stimulated investment opportunities that were previously lacking.
On the claim that MMDAs were created without regard for population thresholds, the Minority insisted that every assembly established under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government met the requirements under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).
“The process was undertaken with due regard to the law, not partisan convenience,” the statement emphasised.
Highlighting progress, the Minority said the six new regions now boast Regional Coordinating Councils with fully functional departmental structures in education, health, agriculture and highways.
Residential facilities for senior heads of public services have also been built, while security agencies including the Police, Immigration, Fire and Prisons have established new regional offices.
According to the Minority, over 60 infrastructural projects were completed under the Akufo-Addo administration and are now in daily use.
The Minority also took aim at the framing of the National Dialogue on Decentralisation, accusing the organisers of advancing the ruling party’s political agenda under the guise of a national conversation.
The Minority urged Ghanaians to view decentralization as an evolving policy that deepens governance, empowers communities, and expands opportunities for development.
“The creation of new districts and regions is not an overreach; it is an investment in inclusion and nation-building,” the statement declared.
