A former Minister for Local Government and Member of Parliament for Techiman South, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, has dismissed claims that the administration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo presided over weak decentralisation, describing the assertion as “false” and misleading.
In a Facebook post, Mr. Korsah accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of deliberately pushing what he termed propaganda to distort the achievements of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
He argued that the Akufo-Addo government pursued a deliberate decentralisation policy by complementing traditional district assembly-led development with special-purpose initiatives aimed at accelerating growth at the local level.
According to him, programmes such as the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), development authorities across the middle, northern and coastal belts, as well as the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme, the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion Project (SoCO), and the Ghana Productive Safety Net Programme (GPSNP), contributed significantly to development, particularly in northern Ghana.
Mr. Korsah further cited flagship initiatives like One District, One Factory (1D1F) and Planting for Food and Jobs, implemented through decentralised structures within key ministries, as evidence of targeted investment in local economies.
He also highlighted the creation of six new regions under the Akufo-Addo administration, describing it as a strategic move to deepen decentralisation and accelerate development. He noted that the policy was accompanied by the construction of regional administration blocks and offices for ministries, departments, and agencies.
Mr. Korsah claimed that upon assuming office, ministers under the current administration, led by John Dramani Mahama, inherited completed infrastructure in the newly created regions.
He, however, criticised the current government’s approach, alleging that it has shifted from the previous policy direction by consolidating funding for local initiatives under district assemblies and directing them to finance what he described as “legacy projects.”
While acknowledging that the government has the prerogative to choose its policy direction, he insisted that the NPP administration’s decentralisation efforts resulted in significant transformation and higher financial allocations to local development initiatives.
Mr. Korsah indicated that he would subsequently present a comparative analysis of budgetary allocations to decentralised development under both administrations.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
