Housing advocate and public policy commentator, Mr Reindolph Afrifa-Oware, has argued that recurring flooding in Accra and other parts of Ghana highlights deep structural weaknesses in the country’s local governance system, particularly in how Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are appointed and held accountable.
He said the current system limits responsiveness at the local level, making it difficult for assemblies to effectively address pressing community challenges such as drainage, sanitation, and urban planning failures that contribute to flooding.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Bono Region, Mr Afrifa-Oware maintained that citizens should have the power to directly choose their local leaders, insisting that accountability improves when leaders are elected rather than appointed.
He stressed that Ghana’s decentralisation agenda remains incomplete as long as MMDCEs are not elected by residents in their respective jurisdictions.
“If Ghana is genuinely committed to decentralisation, the people must be empowered to elect their own local leaders,” he stated.
According to him, electing MMDCEs would make local leaders more responsive to community needs, as their continued stay in office would depend on performance and voter confidence rather than political appointment.
He further argued that the current appointment system discourages capable and independent-minded individuals from pursuing local government leadership roles, describing it as a limitation to effective grassroots development.
Mr Afrifa-Oware said elected MMDCEs would be compelled to prioritise development outcomes, improve service delivery, and take bold decisions in the interest of their communities without undue political influence.
He therefore called on government, Parliament, political parties, and civil society organisations to revive national discussions on electing MMDCEs as part of broader decentralisation reforms.
He concluded that strengthening local democracy was essential to improving accountability and ensuring that communities are led by individuals chosen based on competence and public trust rather than political patronage.
