The Ranking Member on the Committee on Local Government and Decentralisation, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has dismissed remarks by Professor Kwamena Ahwoi on Ghana’s decentralisation process, describing his views as misleading and politically skewed.

Prof Ahwoi, a former Minister of Local Government, had argued at the National Dialogue on Decentralisation and Responsive Governance on September 26, 2025, that the creation of new regions and districts was excessive and unnecessary.

He said Ghana had survived with ten regions for over five decades and questioned whether population requirements were adhered to in the establishment of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

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Reacting to his claims, Asenso-Boakye, said Prof Ahwoi’s submissions failed to reflect the true purpose and achievements of Ghana’s decentralisation agenda.

“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 MP for Bantama stressed, according to a report by thechronicle.com.gh on October 2, 2025.

He strongly rejected Prof Ahwoi’s suggestion that the creation of six new regions between 2018 and 2019 was an “overreach,” insisting the expansion was intended to facilitate growth, inclusion and accelerated development.

According to the NPP MP, the regions have since attracted new infrastructure, expanded access to social services and stimulated investment opportunities that were previously lacking.

He further maintained that all MMDAs created under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration met the population thresholds required under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).

“The process was undertaken with due regard to the law, not partisan convenience,” the report stated.

Highlighting progress, they pointed to the establishment of Regional Coordinating Councils, fully functional departmental structures in education, health, agriculture and highways, and new residential facilities for senior heads of public services.

Security agencies, including the Police, Immigration, Fire and Prisons Service, have also set up regional offices, while over 60 infrastructural projects were completed under the Akufo-Addo administration.

He further criticised 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.

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Asenso-Boakye urged Ghanaians to view decentralisation 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,” he is quoted by the report.

MRA/VPO

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