The Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development has warned Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and coordinating directors against the misuse of funds allocated to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), saying officials found culpable would face sanctions.

The committee said the disability fund was intended solely to support PWDs and improve their socio-economic well-being and, therefore, must not be diverted for other purposes.

The Chairperson of the committee and National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona East, Queenstar Maame Pokua Sawyerr, gave the warning during a capacity-building programme for MMDCEs, coordinating directors, presiding members, and assembly members in Koforidua last Friday.

The programme formed part of the committee's oversight visit to the Eastern Region to assess the utilisation of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Internally Generated Funds (IGF), the District Development Facility and the PWD Fund.

Misuse of funds

Mrs Sawyerr described the misuse of funds earmarked for PWDs as unacceptable and questioned why some assemblies continued to keep such funds idle in their accounts instead of disbursing them to beneficiaries.

She said the committee had also observed discrepancies in some DACF accounts presented by the assemblies.

"There are a few issues we have noted during the presentations by the MMDCEs, including discrepancies involving amounts of GH¢20 million, GH¢15 million, GH¢14 million, and GH¢5 million.

We will investigate the causes of these discrepancies and determine the appropriate measures to address them," she stated.

Mrs Sawyerr said the committee was committed to ensuring accountability in the management of public funds and would not hesitate to take action against officials who misapplied resources meant for vulnerable groups and community development.

The committee chairperson further noted that some assemblies in the region were grappling with poor road networks and flooding.

She, therefore, urged the assemblies to take advantage of the government's District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) equipment to improve road infrastructure and address drainage challenges in flood-prone communities.

Mrs Sawyerr expressed concern about what she described as negligence and intransigence on the part of some local government officials, saying such attitudes undermined development efforts and the effective use of public resources.

"We see discrepancies in DACF accounts, while the misuse of funds meant for PWDs by some assemblies has become a major concern to the committee," she added.

Crack the whip

The Deputy Ranking Member of the committee and New Patriotic Party MP for Akim Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, also raised concerns about the misappropriation of public funds at some assemblies.

He said it was time to "crack the whip" and ensure that offenders were brought to book.

Mr Acquah advised assemblies to exercise prudence in the management of public funds and comply with financial regulations to avoid sanctions and surcharges.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, in her welcome address, reaffirmed Parliament's commitment to strengthening local governance, promoting accountability, and ensuring that development interventions yielded tangible benefits for citizens.

She said local governance remained a critical pillar of Ghana's democratic system because it was at the district level that national policies and programmes were translated into practical interventions that directly affected the lives of the people.

Mrs Awatey noted that MMDCEs served as key drivers of grass-roots development and that their effectiveness largely influenced the pace and quality of socio-economic transformation.

Revenue mobilisation

The regional minister identified revenue mobilisation as a key challenge confronting many assemblies and called for innovative approaches to strengthen internally generated revenue.

While acknowledging the importance of central government transfers, she said increasing development demands required assemblies to improve their revenue mobilisation strategies.

Mrs Awatey encouraged assemblies to leverage technology, strengthen revenue databases, improve property rate administration, enhance supervision of revenue collectors, and intensify public education to encourage voluntary compliance.

24-hour economy initiative

As part of its visit, the committee also assessed the implementation of the government's flagship 24-hour economy market initiative in the region.