Mohammed Adamu Ramadan, the Member of Parliament for Adentan, has backed the proposal by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to be elected.
Ramadan believes this approach would introduce a new level of accountability within Ghana’s municipal and district administrations, ultimately bringing governance closer to the people.
He shared his views in an interview with Citi News, emphasising the need to revisit this conversation as a critical measure to empower local communities and clarify the respective roles of elected officials.
The issue of electing MMDCEs has been a topic of debate for some time in Ghana. Currently, MMDCEs are appointed by the president, a process critics argue makes these officials more accountable to the central government than to the local communities they serve.
Ramadan sees this as a fundamental flaw in Ghana’s governance structure, leading to situations where MMDCEs are not as responsive to the needs of their constituents as they might be if elected directly.
By allowing partisanship in these elections, he believes the community would have a stronger say, creating a direct link between MMDCEs and the residents they serve.
In his interview, Ramadan highlighted that the limited budgetary allocations available to Members of Parliament often restrict their ability to address the infrastructural needs of their constituencies.
He noted that MPs typically rely on funds based on the government’s revenue projections. For example, MPs might receive an annual allocation of around GH¢400,000 to GH¢450,000.
However, he pointed out the severe limitation of this amount by drawing attention to infrastructure costs, such as road construction.
“The amount of money that would come to the MP based on anticipated government revenue, sometimes it is about GH¢400,000 a whole year, or maybe GH¢450,000 a whole year. That is if the government realises all its revenue.
“How much does a kilometre of road cost? It is way in excess of that. But you see, because we don’t elect our MMDCs, they don’t feel accountable to the people.
“Really and truly, if we start electing our chief executives, our electorates would know the clear mandate of the Member of Parliament and that of the chief executive. I think that it is the way to go.”
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