President John Dramani Mahama has delivered on his electoral promise to provide allowances for assembly members, a move aimed at strengthening local governance.
To facilitate these payments, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson announced a GH¢100 million allocation during his presentation of the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on March 11.
However, he did not specify the exact amount each assembly member will receive or when the payments will commence.
Dr. Forson also announced an allocation of GH¢7.51 billion to the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) and proposed a direct disbursement approach to ensure that funds reach local assemblies for development.
“In line with our decentralization policy, we propose to Parliament that at least 80% of the DACF should be sent directly to district assemblies to drive economic growth at the local level and deepen decentralization,” he stated.
He further highlighted the contrast between this approach and past practices, where less than 50% of released DACF funds reached district assemblies, with a significant portion retained at the center.
Ahead of the 2024 elections, President Mahama emphasized the importance of local governance and pledged financial support to assembly members to enable them to effectively carry out their responsibilities.
As part of this commitment, he also promised to increase DACF disbursement from 5% to 7%, ensuring greater financial resources for district-level development.
