The Africa Development Council (ADC) has opposed proposals to elect Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), arguing that Ghana’s unitary system requires presidential appointees at the district level to ensure policy coherence and national unity.

The position follows Cabinet’s approval of reforms that would allow MMDCEs to be elected on a non-partisan basis instead of being appointed by the President.

Dr Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation, recently disclosed that the proposed reforms seek to amend Article 243(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which currently empowers the President to appoint MMDCEs subject to approval by two-thirds of Assembly Members present and voting.

In a statement jointly signed by Dr Bright Atsu Sogbey, President of the ADC, and Michael Ackumey, Scribe of the ADC Secretariat, the Council said “every district must have the President’s choice represented in the persons of MMDCEs.”

It described the proposal to elect MMDCEs as “counterproductive” to development.

The ADC argued that Ghana operates a unitary system where authority flows from the central government to local units, unlike federal states with autonomous regions. It added that since the President is elected to implement a national agenda, MMDCEs must serve as direct links between the Presidency and district assemblies.

“MMDCEs translate national priorities into district-level action. Electing them risks creating a parallel mandate that could clash with the President’s development agenda,” it stated.

The Council further warned that elected MMDCEs, who derive authority directly from voters, could belong to different political parties and pursue policies inconsistent with national programmes, creating potential conflict.

“In situations where disagreements arise between the President and an elected MMDCE, governance at the district level may become paralysed,” it cautioned, adding that such standoffs could delay government projects and disrupt policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, sanitation and job creation, while turning districts into “battlegrounds for political rivalry rather than centres of development.”

The ADC also noted that unlike appointed officials who can be removed for non-performance, elected MMDCEs would enjoy security of tenure, potentially limiting the President’s ability to enforce accountability and leading to administrative deadlock.

On cost implications, the Council argued that conducting elections across all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies would require significant public expenditure on logistics, security and voter education. It suggested that such funds could instead be redirected to agriculture.

“At a time when Ghana faces numerous developmental challenges and competing demands on public resources, it is prudent to carefully assess whether such expenditure represents the best use of national funds,” the statement said.

The ADC proposed an “Agriculture Mechanisation Initiative” across all districts, using the funds earmarked for MMDCE elections to invest in modern equipment, irrigation systems, storage facilities and farmer support programmes to boost productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, create jobs and enhance food security.

The Council stressed that while democratic participation is important, governance structures must ultimately advance national development.

“A system that risks creating conflict between the central government and district administrations may undermine rather than strengthen development efforts,” it said, maintaining that retaining the appointment of MMDCEs remains the most practical and development-oriented option for Ghana.

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