The Minister of State for Government Communication, Hon. Felix Ofosu Kwakye, has highlighted the significance of the GHS 7.51 billion allocation to District Assemblies in President John Mahama’s 2025 budget.
Speaking on the issue, Hon. Ofosu Kwakye emphasized that this move would revitalize local governance, restore financial autonomy to the Assemblies, and relieve Members of Parliament from excessive financial burdens caused by the previous government’s neglect.
According to Hon. Ofosu Kwakye, District Assemblies have suffered greatly over the past eight years due to a lack of funding.
He noted that under the previous administration, Assemblies were sidelined while alternative agencies, such as the Coastal Development Authority, Middle Belt Development Authority, and Northern Development Authority, were created to perform similar functions.
These agencies, he asserted, were politically motivated, filled with party loyalists, and served as a means to divert funds away from local governance structures.
“For political reasons, monies were allocated to these agencies, which were packed with political cronies and appendages, to the detriment of the District Assemblies,” he stated.
President Mahama’s 2025 budget, however, signals a decisive shift.
Hon. Ofosu Kwakye confirmed that all these alternative agencies would be scrapped, and the funds redirected to District Assemblies through the District Assemblies Common Fund.
“This is music to the ears of MPs because, at least in the last eight years, the District Assemblies have been dismembered and left on their own,” he remarked.
As the Member of Parliament for Abura Asebu-Kwamankese, Hon. Ofosu Kwakye expressed his personal relief at the policy change.
He revealed that, in recent months, he had been compelled to finance virtually every activity of the District Assemblies due to a complete lack of funds.
“The reason this is important is that it relieves people like myself, an MP from the pressure that has been brought to bear on us because Assemblies do not have money. The NPP government nearly collapsed the District Assemblies,” he lamented.
The Minister of State for Government Communications, Hon Felix Ofosu-Kwakye emphasized that with this new policy direction, the Mahama administration seeks to restore the District Assemblies to their rightful place as the primary engines of local development, ensuring that resources reach the grassroots for effective governance and community development.
Story by Freedom Lavoe
