Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have been urged to strengthen financial discipline, improve internal control systems, and address existing gaps in public financial management practices to sustain improvements in compliance.

A Senior Research Officer of the Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA), Isaac Owusu, made the call at a town hall meeting in Tamale organised by the CLGA with funding support from the European Union to disseminate findings of the Public Financial Management Compliance League Table (PFMCLT).

He said although the latest assessment recorded a significant improvement in the national compliance score from 33 per cent in 2024 to 66.2 per cent in 2025, MMDAs must consolidate the gains and work towards achieving higher compliance levels.

Mr Owusu described the progress as encouraging, saying it reflected the growing commitment of public institutions to strengthening financial management systems and promoting accountability in the use of public resources.

Assessment

The PFMCLT, which assesses compliance with public financial management laws, regulations and accountability measures among public institutions, recorded the improvement in its third assessment.

The meeting sought to promote public understanding of public financial management, strengthen transparency and accountability in local governance, and provide a platform for engagement among citizens, MMDAs, civil society organisations and other stakeholders. It also discussed challenges affecting compliance and measures to improve financial management practices.

Northern Region

Mr Owusu said the Northern Region recorded significant improvement, with 11 of its 16 MMDAs scoring above the 50 percent compliance mark, compared with only two assemblies in 2024.

He, however, urged all assemblies to sustain the momentum.

"Although the improvement is encouraging, there is a need to do more.

We expect all the assemblies in the region to score above 50 per cent. Even though achieving 100 percent may be difficult, institutions must continue to improve their performance," he said.

He stressed the need for stronger internal controls, improved reporting systems, and strict adherence to public financial management regulations to ensure value for money, enhance accountability, strengthen public confidence, and improve service delivery.