Former Local Government Minister, Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, has warned that Ghana’s decentralisation drive must be carefully managed to avoid weakening national cohesion and unintentionally encouraging separatist ambitions.
Speaking at a policy orientation workshop on decentralisation and local governance in Accra, he argued that while decentralisation strengthens local administration, it also carries inherent political risks if not properly designed and controlled.
He noted that Ghana’s governance framework intentionally maintains a relatively weak regional structure to safeguard the unity of the state, stressing that excessive empowerment of sub-national units could create conditions for fragmentation.
“In decentralising, you must be aware that there are separatist tendencies… it is very easy to move from decentralisation to separation, to federalism, to balkanisation, to secession and to the breakdown of the country,” he cautioned.
Prof. Ahwoi described Ghana and most African states as “artificial colonial constructs,” saying this historical reality makes national cohesion a delicate task requiring deliberate policy safeguards.
He cited the breakups of Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union as well as Nigeria’s civil war as cautionary examples of how strong regional identities and political tensions can lead to state fragmentation and conflict.
Referencing Ghana’s own traditional power structures, he observed that some kingdoms, including Ashanti and Dagbon, historically possessed strong administrative systems that could support statehood if governance arrangements were not carefully balanced.
“We do not want to fashion out a system that will give an excuse for Ghana to break up,” he said, while commending past leaders and traditional authorities for preserving unity.
Prof. Ahwoi stressed that decentralisation remains an important development tool but urged policymakers to ensure it strengthens governance without undermining the country’s stability and national identity.
