Ghana holds high-level talks with Switzerland, Germany on decentralisation support
The Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee (IMCC) on Decentralisation organised a high-level policy dialogue aimed at strengthening cooperation on decentralisation between the governments of Ghana, Switzerland, and Germany. The event took place in the conference room of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs.
The meeting brought together the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim; Deputy Minister, Hon. Rita Naa Odoley-Sowah; the Head of Operations at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Mr. Philipp Orga; the Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Simone Petra Giger; and other key stakeholders. These included the Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah; the Head of the Civil Service, Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darkoh; and representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Development Bank, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of the IMCC, Dr. Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, stated, “We have called this high-level meeting to strengthen the relationship between the Government of Ghana and the Governments of Switzerland and Germany, particularly under the DACF–RFG programme. We want to build on the existing relationship in support of Ghana’s decentralisation and development priorities, and in recognition of the resilient support of both Switzerland and Germany, currently the only countries supporting the DACF-RFG. This programme has enabled the construction of over 3,000 infrastructural projects across the 261 MMDAs.”
The Minister for Local Government, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, underscored the importance the Government of Ghana places on decentralisation, adding, “The President prioritises decentralisation.” He noted, “The President is deeply committed to advancing decentralisation through several key reforms: the election of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) on a non-partisan basis to strengthen accountability and enhance citizen participation; a progressive increase in the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) from 5% to 7.5% to expand the fiscal space available to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs); the finalisation and passage of the District Assemblies Borrowing Bill to empower assemblies to mobilise resources for development; and the deepened inclusion of traditional authorities and religious leaders to ensure their meaningful involvement in local governance.”
Ambassador Simone Giger reaffirmed Switzerland’s commitment to the decentralisation agenda, stating, “In our new cooperation programme with Ghana, local governance and decentralisation is one of the three priority areas. We believe in the President’s vision and the Minister’s commitment. But decentralisation cannot happen unless higher levels of government are willing to hand over real power and resources.”
She also added, “Switzerland is walking the talk,” emphasising that they will support the sector with technical assistance and training, and hope to collaborate even further with the soon-to-be-established university for local government studies.
The meeting concluded with the symbolic signing of the bilateral agreement between Switzerland and Ghana, with a mutual commitment to scale up cooperation, enhance capacity building, and align decentralisation efforts with Ghana’s national development goals.
