The Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA) convened a national webinar to critically examine the decentralisation and local governance dimensions of Ghana’s 2026 Economic Policy and Budget Statement. The dialogue focused on how fiscal policy choices and intergovernmental transfers can be better aligned to strengthen local government performance, accountability, and service delivery across Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA) convened a national webinar to critically examine the decentralisation and local governance dimensions of Ghana’s 2026 Economic Policy and Budget Statement. The dialogue focused on how fiscal policy choices and intergovernmental transfers can be better aligned to strengthen local government performance, accountability, and service delivery across Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The session featured a detailed technical presentation by Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, a respected Public Financial Management and Local Governance expert. Drawing on Ghana’s constitutional and statutory decentralisation framework, particularly Chapter 20 of the 1992 Constitution, the presentation unpacked the extent to which the 2026 Budget advances (or constrains) fiscal decentralisation, local autonomy, and results-oriented service delivery at the sub-national level.
Key areas of analysis included:
• Intergovernmental fiscal transfers and the adequacy, predictability, and timeliness of releases to MMDAs;
• Local revenue mobilisation and incentives for improving Internally Generated Funds (IGF);
• Expenditure prioritisation for frontline services such as sanitation, basic education, health, and local infrastructure;
• Public financial management reforms at the local level, including compliance, transparency, and value-for-money considerations.
Participants drawn from local government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners, academia, and the media engaged in a robust discussion on practical reforms needed to translate national budget commitments into measurable improvements at the community level. The conversation underscored the importance of strengthening decentralisation not only as a governance principle, but as a critical pathway to inclusive development, improved service delivery, and citizen trust.
The webinar forms part of CLGA’s ongoing advocacy and knowledge-sharing efforts to promote evidence-based fiscal decentralisation, enhance MMDA performance, and ensure that national budgets respond meaningfully to local development needs.
