ADC Opposes Elected MMDCEs, Citing Potential for Paralysis

ADC Opposes Elected MMDCEs, Citing Potential for Paralysis

The Africa Development Council (ADC) has strongly opposed the planned election of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), citing the potential for development paralysis in Ghana.

“MMDCEs must serve as direct links between the Presidency and district assemblies. Electing them risks creating a parallel mandate that could clash with the President’s development agenda.”

The proposed reforms aim to amend Article 243(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which currently grants the President the power to appoint MMDCEs, subject to approval by two-thirds of Assembly Members present and voting. The ADC views this as an optimal system for development.

Dr. Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation, explained that the proposed reforms seek to empower the President to appoint MMDCEs, a move that will ensure policy coherence and national unity. However, the ADC argues that elections for the position are counterproductive to development.

Dr. Bright Atsu Sogbey, the President of the ADC, and Mr. Michael Ackumey, Scribe of the ADC Secretariat, signed a statement jointly opposing the election of MMDCEs.

The council further raised concerns about the cost of organizing elections across all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies. They estimated that heavy spending on logistics, security, and public education would be required, which is better spent on more pressing development needs.

ADC proposed redirecting funds earmarked for MMDCE elections to an Agriculture Mechanisation Initiative across every district. This initiative aims to increase productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, create employment, and strengthen food security by purchasing modern equipment, irrigation systems, storage facilities, and farmer support programmes.

Ghana operates a unitary system, where authority flows from central government to local units, unlike federal states with autonomous regions. This system requires presidential appointees at district level to protect policy coherence and national unity. The ADC argued that presidential appointees are better positioned to maintain national unity.

In situations where disagreements arise between the President and an elected MMDCE, governance at the district level may become paralysed. The council warned that elected MMDCEs could derive authority directly from voters and may belong to a different political party or pursue policies inconsistent with national programmes.

This could lead to years of administrative deadlock, the council warned, as the President may have limited authority to act against officials whose actions impede national development. The ADC's strongest objection centred on the potential conflict between the President and elected MMDCEs.

The ADC argued that such standoffs could delay central government projects, obstruct national policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, sanitation, and jobs, and turn districts into “battlegrounds for political rivalry rather than centres for development.”

The ADC’s proposal to redirect funds earmarked for MMDCE elections to an Agriculture Mechanisation Initiative highlights the need for a careful assessment of priorities in Ghana's development agenda, especially in a unitary system where policy coherence and national unity are paramount.