The Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCC) has inaugurated a Legislative Review Committee (LRC) to assess and harmonise the legal and institutional framework underpinning the country’s decentralisation and local governance programme.

The chairman of the committee is a local governance expert, Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi. The members are Estelle Appiah — Expert in legislative drafting and peer review mechanisms; Nii Lantey Vanderpuye — a former Ranking Member, Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government; Alhaji Ishaq Alhassan — former Director, Local Governance and Legal Affairs, MLGRD; Dr Rainer Akumperigya – Legal practitioner and Secretary, Constitutional Review Committee, and Ms Heidi Boakye — Principal State Attorney, Office of the Attorney-General.

The rest are Dr Nana Opare Gyan — former Director of M&E, NDPC; Stephen Ankugre — NALAG Council Member and Presiding Member, Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly; Samuel Seth Passah — Director of Local Governance and Decentralisation; Dr Richard Fiadomor – President, Chamber of Local Government, and Ing. Baah Tetteh – acting Director, Management and Technical Services, Office of the Head of the Local Government Service.

Relevance

The Executive Secretary of the IMCC, Dr Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, who introduced the members of the committee in Accra, underscored the importance of the committee’s work, saying “the LRC, formerly the Legislative Review Taskforce, has a distinguished track record, having played a key role in shaping landmark legislation such as the promulgation of the Local Governance Act of 2016 (Act 936), the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act of 2016 (Act 925), the Youth Authority Act, the Sports Authority Act of 2016 (Act 939), the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 2020 (Act 1027) and the legislative instruments for the NDPC Act and the NDPC Systems Act.

“Its establishment is both a strategic and urgent step toward aligning our decentralisation laws with current development realities,” he added.

Dr Hoedoafia expressed appreciation to Prof. Ahwoi for agreeing to lead the committee, describing him as the “Father of decentralisation in Ghana”.

He expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to deliver a comprehensive and forward-looking legal review to strengthen the institutional arrangements within the sector.

Commitment

Prof. Ahwoi reaffirmed his commitment to the task of a national decentralisation agenda.

He said effective decentralisation was a foundation for sustainable development, commending President Mahama for his visionary leadership in advancing decentralisation reforms during his tenure as Vice-President and President.

“The IMCC has an inter-sectoral policy coordination role, and this committee will work hard to identify and propose remedies for legal gaps within the various sectoral laws,” the chairman said.