The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has rejected claims that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are responsible for the failure to desilt major storm drains, insisting that the responsibility lies with the Department of Urban Roads.

Speaking to JoyNews' Fatau Bayaga at Alajo on the second day of the National General Clean-up exercise on Saturday, July 11, the Minister said it was unfair to blame MMDCEs for choked storm drains when the funds and mandate for such works are vested in the Department of Urban Roads.

He explained that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) receive limited funding for sanitation, making it impossible for them to undertake large-scale desilting while also meeting their other sanitation obligations.

According to him, only 10 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund is allocated to sanitation, leaving many assemblies with inadequate resources to cover street sweeping, waste collection, drain maintenance and other sanitation activities throughout the year.

“To say that the MMDCEs are sleeping on the job is something that I won’t take lightly. Because the responsibility of desilting drains and the storm drains is the responsibility of Urban Roads. Those monies go to Urban Roads. So how can you come and be insulting a DCE who is merely responsible for primary drains?” he said.

The Minister questioned whether the level of funding allocated to district assemblies was sufficient to address the wide range of sanitation responsibilities expected of them.

“The amount given to MMDCEs, the money given to my DCE for the 2025 first to fourth quarter, was GH¢13 million. Ten per cent for sanitation is GH¢1.3 million. Can you use GH¢1.3 million for the entire sanitation work in my district for the whole year? Recruiting people to be sweeping, paying them, sending recyclables, etc. Can you use GH¢1.3 million for the whole year?” he asked.

Mr Ibrahim therefore urged the public to hold the appropriate institutions accountable for the desilting of major storm drains, stressing that such works should have been completed before the onset of the rainy season.

“That is the responsibility of Urban Roads. And Urban Roads should have done it before the rains set in, not the MMDCEs,” he stated.

The Minister's comments come amid renewed public scrutiny of flood mitigation efforts following the recent flooding in parts of the Greater Accra Region and other parts of the country.

What does the law say?

Under Ghana's laws, the Ghana Hydrological Authority is legally mandated to execute and maintain major storm drainage systems and flood control structures, while Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are responsible for inner-town and community drains.

The specific agencies and their corresponding mandates are backed by the following laws:

Major/Primary Drains: The Ghana Hydrological Authority (HYDRO) and the Department of Urban Roads are responsible. The Ghana Hydrological Authority Act, 2022 (Act 1085) establishes the state institution responsible for the "planning, design, execution, operation, and maintenance of flood control mechanisms, [and] drainage improvement works". Furthermore, large-scale storm drains fall under the technical purview of the Department of Urban Roads.

Inner Town and Community Drains: Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are responsible. Under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), specifically Section 181 and the First Schedule, assemblies are mandated to enact bye-laws to manage waste, construct, and maintain local and community drains within their local jurisdictions.