The Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCC), Dr Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia has urged district coordinating directors to move beyond administrative procedures and ensure that decentralisation delivers tangible improvements in the lives of the citizens.

According to him, the success of Ghana’s decentralisation agenda should not be measured by the number of policies developed but by how effectively those policies are implemented at the district level.

Dr Hoedoafia made the call when he addressed the 8th Annual General Meeting of the Association of District Coordinating Directors of Ghana (ASCOD), held from September 8 to 12, 2026.

Speaking on the theme, “Transforming District Assemblies for Sustainable Development: The Role of the Coordinating Director,” he said coordinating directors occupy a critical position in translating national policies and priorities into practical outcomes for communities.

“The success of decentralisation will ultimately not be judged by the quality of the policy document we produce. It will be judged by whether District Assemblies are able to improve the lives of our people, create economic opportunities, provide quality services and promote sustainable development in their communities.”

Dr Hoedoafia also took participants through the National Decentralisation Policy and Strategy (NDPS) 2026–2030 which seeks to accelerate Ghana’s decentralisation agenda and strengthen local governance.

The framework focuses on six key thematic areas namely political decentralisation, administrative decentralisation, decentralised planning, fiscal decentralisation, local economic development, and popular participation and accountability.

He stressed that the effectiveness of the framework would ultimately depend on its implementation at the district level, particularly the ability of district assemblies to convert national priorities into outcomes that directly benefit citizens.

Against this backdrop, Dr Hoedoafia called for stronger financial management and increased local revenue mobilisation, noting that many district assemblies continue to rely heavily on central government transfers.

A recent monitoring of the implementation of the composite budget, he said, indicates that many assemblies are approximately 90 percent dependent on the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

He urged the coordinating directors to identify and harness the economic potential of their respective districts while making effective use of technology including the District Local Revenue (dLRev) software to improve revenue mobilisation.

“Let me state emphatically that the development of District Assemblies will depend largely on their ability to mobilise additional resources internally and, more importantly, to expand the economic base from which those resources can be generated.”

The IMCC Executive Secretary further urged coordinating directors to redefine their role beyond ensuring administrative procedures are followed.

He said their responsibility must include ensuring district assemblies plan effectively, coordinate their activities, manage resources efficiently and ultimately deliver quality services to residents.

Dr Hoedoafia described the coordinating directors as central to making decentralisation work, stressing they must help the district assemblies to function as coordinated institutions that remain focused on delivering results for their localities.

He also stressed that resources available to assemblies must be effectively planned for and translated into tangible development outcomes.

“We can increase the resources available to Assemblies, but if those resources are not effectively planned for, coordinated and translated into results, their development impact will remain limited.”

He added that the ultimate goal of decentralisation must be to ensure policies and practices translate into meaningful improvements in people's lives.

“Moving from policy to practice, from practice to results, and from results to a better quality of life for our people.”