The Africa Development Council (ADC) said that it is opposed to electing Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), arguing that Ghana’s unitary structure requires presidential appointees at district level to protect policy coherence and national unity.

This position by the non-profit organisation focused on promoting sustainable industrial development in Africa, followed Cabinet’s approval of reforms that will allow MMDCEs to be elected by the people on a non-partisan basis, instead of being appointed by the President.

Dr Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation who made the disclosure recently, explained that the proposed reforms sought to amend Article 243(1) of the 1992 Constitution, currently empowering the President to appoint MMDCEs subject to approval by two-thirds of Assembly Members present and voting.

In a statement jointly signed by Dr Bright Atsu Sogbey, the President, ADC and Mr Michael Ackumey, Scribe, ADC Secretariat, the Council said, “every district must have the President’s choice represented, in the persons of MMDCEs.”

It described elections for the position as “counterproductive” to development.

The ADC argued that Ghana operates a unitary system where authority flows from central government to local units, unlike federal states with autonomous regions and that because the President is elected to implement a national agenda, MMDCEs must serve as direct links between the Presidency and district assemblies.

“MMDCEs translate national priorities into district-level action. Electing them risks creating a parallel mandate that could clash with the President’s development agenda.”

The Council’s strongest objection centered on potential conflict as an elected MMDCE, it said, derives authority directly from voters and may belong to a different political party or pursue policies inconsistent with national programmes.

“In situations where disagreements arise between the President and an elected MMDCE, governance at the district level may become paralysed,” it warned, saying such standoffs could delay central government projects, obstruct national policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, sanitation and jobs, and turn districts into “battlegrounds for political rivalry rather than centres for development.”

Unlike appointees who can be removed for non-performance or insubordination, elected MMDCEs would enjoy security of tenure. That, ADC argued, could leave the President with limited authority to act against officials whose actions impede national development, potentially causing “years of administrative deadlock.”

The Council also flagged cost concerns, saying organising elections across all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies would require heavy spending including on logistics, security, and public education and that it was important to spend the money on tractors, not ballots by redirecting those resources to agriculture to deliver more impact.

“At a time when Ghana faces numerous developmental challenges and competing demands on public resources, it is prudent to carefully assess whether such expenditure represents the best use of national funds,” the ADC said

It proposed an “Agriculture Mechanisation Initiative across every district” using funds to be earmarked for MMDCE elections for modern equipment, irrigation systems, storage facilities and farmer support programmes to increase productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, create employment and strengthen food security.

The question, the statement argued, is not whether local democracy matters, but whether electing MMDCEs is the most effective governance model for a unitary state like Ghana, noting while democratic participation remains essential, governance structures must ultimately advance the broader goal of national development.

“A system that risks creating conflict between the central government and district administrations may undermine rather than strengthen development efforts,” it said, maintaining that “retaining the appointment of MMDCEs remains the most practical and development-oriented option for Ghana.”