The Government of Ghana, through the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee (IMCC) Secretariat, on December 10, 2025, convened the maiden meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee (IMCC) on Decentralisation at Adu Lodge, Castle Drive, Accra, under the chairmanship of H.E. the Vice President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku- Agyemang.

The meeting brought together Ministers, Institutional Heads, and key stakeholders mandated under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) to steer the country’s decentralisation reforms.

In her keynote address, the Vice President stressed the Government’s unrelenting commitment to placing decentralisation at the heart of national development and accountable governance.

She highlighted the urgent need to complete administrative and functional devolution in critical sectors such as Health, Education and Roads, noting that the credibility of Ghana’s decentralisation programme depends on progress in these areas.

The meeting deliberated on three key objectives:

1.            Reactivation and operationalisation of the IMCC as the highest national platform for inter-ministerial coordination of decentralisation.

2.            Consideration and endorsement of the National Decentralisation Policy and Strategy (2026–2030), which outlines reforms across thematic areas: Political, Administrative, Fiscal Planning; Local Economic Development; and Popular Participation and Accountability.

3.            Policy direction on critical coordination matters, including predictable financing for the IMCC Secretariat, sectoral alignment, and legislative reforms.

The Vice President called on all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, especially the Ministry of Finance, to champion the implementation of decentralisation reforms within their mandates, stressing that a coherent and purposeful Government stance is vital for attracting Development Partner support and to ensure that funds follow functions.

The meeting featured presentations on the NDPS, Fiscal Decentralisation, Local Economic Development, and ongoing legislative reforms, as well as discussions on ministerial realignment for effective local governance.

The IMCC agreed to focus on the Decentralisation of the Education, Health and Road Sectors and to ensure that they are achieved within the first year of the NDPS plan period.

In the view of the IMCC, decentralisation must benefit the people of Ghana; therefore, the committee remains committed to ensuring that decentralisation becomes a catalyst for improved service delivery, local democracy, and inclusive national development.

Members of the IMCC present at the meeting were the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim; the Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu; the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh; the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku; the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey; the Head of the Local Government Service, Prof. Lord Mensah; the Head of the Civil Service, Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darkoh; and the Chairperson of the National Development Planning Commission, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson.

Also in attendance were Technical Committee members made up of all Chief Directors of the member institutions, while the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Hon. Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Hon. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, were represented by their Chief Directors.

Present as well were the Chief of Staff at the Office of the Vice-President, Mr. Alex Segbefia; the Oversight Consultant on the Policy, Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi; and the Lead Consultant, Dr. Esther Ofei Aboagye.