Government Tasked to Facilitate Consensus for MMDCEs Election

The Ghanaian government, led by Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Mr. Daniel Botwe, has directed the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) to organize meetings with various stakeholders to build consensus for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly Chief Executives (MMDCEs). The goal is to facilitate the election of MMDCEs through potential legal reforms, an agenda that remains unfinished. This task comes in the wake of previous failed attempts, including a planned referendum in 2019 that was aborted due to a lack of consensus among stakeholders on the involvement of political parties in local elections.

Key Takeaways:

• The Ghanaian government, under Mr. Daniel Botwe, has tasked the ILGS to facilitate meetings with stakeholders to build consensus for the election of MMDCEs.
• The meetings aim to resolve the issue of whether elections at the local level should be partisan, with the Minister indicating that the New Patriotic Party's position is that it should be partisan.
• Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution, an entrenched clause, currently prohibits the inclusion of party politics in local governance.
• A planned referendum in 2019 to amend the Constitution was aborted due to lack of consensus among stakeholders.
• The ILGS was commissioned in 1999 to provide capacity-building programs for the Local Government sector.
• A total of 111 students graduated at the 6th Congregation Ceremony of the ILGS, held at Madina, Accra.

Statistics:

• 111 students graduated at the 6th Congregation Ceremony of the ILGS.
• The ILGS was commissioned in 1999 to provide capacity-building programs for the Local Government sector.
• The ILGS is currently affiliated to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology until it is granted Presidential Charter.

Sources:

• GNA – Ghana News Agency (24 Jul 2023)
• ILGS – Institute of Local Government Studies