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The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has warned Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) that those who fail to perform effectively will be dismissed by March 31, 2026.
He said the government would not tolerate poor performance and lackadaisical attitudes among appointees, stressing that MMDCEs were expected to prioritise the implementation of government policies and programmes at the district level.
Mr Ibrahim, who was speaking during a familiarisation visit to the Bono Regional House of Chiefs (BRHC) in Sunyani last Monday, said policies such as the 24-hour economy were designed to drive national development and improve the living standards of the people.
He urged the MMDCEs to pay critical attention to sanitation and invest in key infrastructure projects, including Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, school blocks and agricultural initiatives.
Mr Ibrahim, who is also the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Banda, cautioned MMDCEs against being armchair chief executives and urged them to be proactive in the discharge of their responsibilities.
“Don’t always sit in your office. If you are an MMDCE and you fail to do your work well, by March 31, 2026, you will be sacked,” he said.
He explained that the dismissal would be based on performance assessments of the Social Accountability Committee (SAC), including reports from the government’s accountability committee.
Mr Ibrahim said President John Dramani Mahama had also warned ministers and other appointees against poor attitude towards work.
He said all government officials were working tirelessly to deliver on the government’s mandate.
“All the 60 ministers are working 24/7. The President himself hardly sleeps.
We were given the mandate to work. As an MMDCE, are you implementing government policies?” he asked.
On funding, the minister said the government had released the entire 2025 District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) to the assemblies, explaining that MMDCEs therefore had no justification to complain about inadequate funds.
He added that the government had also paid the three per cent allocation for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), and announced that the allocation would be increased to five per cent this year.
Mr Ibrahim said an eight-member committee, chaired by the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu- Nketiah, had been constituted to review applications from Municipal and District Assemblies seeking elevation.
He said ministries, government appointees and MMDCEs would soon be made to account to Ghanaians under the government’s accountability exercise, and urged district chief executives to ensure transparency to avoid sanctions.
The President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, used the occasion to congratulate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on his re-election as the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
"On behalf of the house, I want to use this platform to formally congratulate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for emerging as a winner in the just-ended NPP Presidential Primary," he said.
Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu said other contestants, namely, Former MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong; former Minister of Food and Agriculture and MP for Abetifi, Dr Bryan Acheampong; former Minister of Education and MP for Bosomtwi, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and former General Secretary of the party, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, did well in the contest.
