The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim (MP), on Friday, 11th July 2025, inaugurated the newly constituted Governing Board of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) and the Council of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) at a ceremony held in the Ministry’s Conference Room in Accra.
The inauguration brought together high-level dignitaries including the Deputy Minister, Hon. Rita Naa Odoley Sowah (MP); Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr. Amin Abdul-Rahaman; Director of ILGS, Prof. Nicholas Awortwi; CEO of LUSPA, Dr. Kwadwo Yeboah; and former Council Chairperson, Emeritus Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, among others.
In his keynote address, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim congratulated the newly appointed Chairmen Dr. William Kofi Ahadzie for ILGS and Pln. Jonathan Azaaso for LUSPA—along with all board members for the confidence reposed in them by the President of the Republic, H.E. John Dramani Mahama.
Describing the appointments as a significant call to duty, the Minister emphasized the importance of both institutions in Ghana’s decentralisation and development architecture. He lauded ILGS for its strategic role in training public officials within Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), and in shaping policy through research since its establishment.
“As government rolls out the Resetting Ghana Agenda, capacity building for MMDCEs, Assembly Members, and staff of MMDAs has become more critical than ever. The Ministry is actively pursuing efforts to upgrade ILGS into a specialised university focused on professional and higher education for local governance while maintaining its core training mandate,” the Minister stated.
Turning to LUSPA, Hon. Ibrahim noted the Authority’s crucial role in guiding sustainable land use and spatial planning across the country. He urged the new Board to ensure full implementation of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), especially at the local government level.
He announced the Ministry’s commitment to supporting the full operationalisation of District Spatial Planning Committees and their Technical Sub-Committees, as provided under Sections 37 to 39 of the Act. He also pledged to issue directives under Section 47 for all MMDAs to establish permanent, publicly accessible Physical Data Rooms to promote transparency in development control.
“The status quo must change. In the Resetting Ghana Agenda, we cannot continue doing the same things and expect different results. I urge you to be bold, innovative, and results-oriented in your leadership,” he charged the governing members.
Hon. Ibrahim also paid tribute to the outgoing Board and Council members for their meritorious service and expressed hope that the new leadership would build on the solid foundation laid by their predecessors.
The ceremony concluded with the formal declaration of the new Governing Board of LUSPA and the Governing Council of ILGS as duly inaugurated.
Source: Darling Maame Efua Cann & Stephanie Edem Klutsey
Public Relations Unit, MLGCRA