By Darling Maame Efua Cann
On Friday, 11th July 2025, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) convened a high-level ceremony to inaugurate the Governing Board of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) and the Council of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS). Presided over by the Minister, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, the event marked more than a routine administrative engagement, it constituted a strategic intervention and a renewed call to leadership in Ghana’s local governance and planning landscape.
The appointments of Pln. Jonathan Azaaso as Chairman of the LUSPA Board and Dr. William Kofi Ahadzie as Chairman of the ILGS Council signal a deliberate step by government to reinforce institutional leadership with professionals of proven expertise, deep sectoral insight, and technical credibility. Their respective mandates are not ceremonial. They represent a renewed national commitment to strengthen the foundations of decentralised governance, improve the integrity of spatial planning, and ensure policy implementation at the local level is both responsive and sustainable.
Ghana’s spatial development challenges are well documented. Rapid urbanisation, weak enforcement of planning standards, and poor compliance with statutory provisions have contributed to a host of problems, from unregulated construction and ineffective land use to recurrent flooding and deteriorating city infrastructure. The Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, under Act 925, is the lead agency mandated to regulate and guide the country’s physical development. Yet, without strengthened governance and full cooperation from MMDAs, the Authority’s impact has remained constrained.
In his address, the Minister was unequivocal in his charge to the newly inaugurated Board. He emphasised the urgency of ensuring that District Spatial Planning Committees become operational, that development and building permit regimes are enforced, and that all MMDAs establish permanent public data rooms as mandated by law. These measures, while technical in nature, carry profound implications for governance, transparency, and urban order. They represent the practical levers by which Ghana can address its enduring challenges in land management and spatial organisation.
In a similar vein, the Institute of Local Government Studies continues to occupy a strategic space within Ghana’s decentralisation framework. Since its inception, the Institute has played a vital role in building the capacity of local government actors, supporting policy development, and providing tailored training for public sector leadership at the sub-national level. However, the evolving development landscape requires the ILGS to scale up its influence, broaden its reach, and modernise its systems.
The government’s vision to transition the Institute into a specialised University reflects the recognition that decentralisation is not just a political ideal but a technical and professional imperative. As the primary institution responsible for grooming the next generation of local governance practitioners, the ILGS must now position itself as a centre of excellence, anchored in research, academic discipline, and practical training that is responsive to the needs of the country’s regions, districts, and communities.
This inauguration, therefore, is not simply about constituting new Boards. It is about entrusting two of the sector’s most important institutions with the responsibility to drive forward the government’s reform agenda under the Resetting Ghana framework. It is about reinforcing institutional credibility, recalibrating strategy, and ensuring that mandates are matched with measurable action.
The expectation is clear. LUSPA must lead on compliance and coordination of spatial planning activities across the country, while ILGS must rise as a thought leader and human capital developer in local governance. With effective collaboration, technical focus, and strategic foresight, both institutions can play a central role in redefining the quality of public service delivery at the local level.
At a time when the demand for effective governance, spatial coherence, and sustainable development continues to grow, the significance of this moment cannot be overstated. What lies ahead for these institutions is not business as usual, but the opportunity, and the obligation to become catalysts of national progress.
(The writer is a Public Relations Officer with the Ministry of Local Government. Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) and a Staff of the Information Services Department (ISD)
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