The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has revealed that the government disbursed GH¢107 million in allowances to all 9,090 assembly members across the country, exceeding the GH¢100 million allocation captured in the 2025 Budget.

Addressing Parliament's Assurance Committee on Thursday, July 8, the Minister said the payment fulfils President John Dramani Mahama's commitment to provide financial support to Assembly Members.

"The President promised GH¢100 million in the 2025 Budget. By 31st December 2025, the President had paid GH¢107 million to all Assembly Members in the country," Mr Ibrahim said.

He explained that the beneficiaries comprise 6,272 elected Assembly Members and 2,813 government-appointed Assembly Members, bringing the total number of recipients to 9,090.

According to the Minister, each Assembly Member receives a monthly allowance of GH¢1,300, which is paid quarterly through the country's 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Mr Ibrahim said his ministry had put in place measures to ensure the prompt disbursement of the funds, noting that the money is transferred directly to the assemblies as soon as it is released by the Ministry of Finance.

"I made sure that the money did not spend a day in my ministry. Once the Finance Minister releases the funds, I instruct the Financial Controller to send them to all the 261 MMDAs for payment to the Assembly Members," he stated.

He further disclosed that the first-quarter allowance for 2026 was released this week and that he had already directed the Financial Controller to transfer the funds immediately to the assemblies for onwards payment.

The Minister also addressed concerns raised by some Assembly Members over the deduction of taxes from their allowances. He said some beneficiaries had requested that the payments be exempt from tax but explained that allowances are taxable under Ghana's tax laws.

"They were saying they would not allow tax to be deducted from it, but we explained that all allowances are tax deductible. That was the only challenge," he said.

Mr Ibrahim commended Parliament for approving the allocation and supporting the ministry's efforts to implement the allowance policy.

"I also thank Parliament for giving that approval and also for fighting for my ministry to be able to pay the assembly members' allowances."

He said the regular payment of the allowances reflects the government's commitment to strengthening local governance and providing Assembly Members with the financial support needed to perform their duties effectively.