The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim (MP), has reiterated government’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with the United Kingdom to promote sustainable urban development and climate resilience across Ghana’s cities.

He gave the assurance when the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr. Christian Rogg, paid a courtesy call on the Ministry on Friday, 7th November 2025to formally introduce himself to the Minister while familiarizing himself with the policies and programmes of the ministry and possible collaborations the two countries could have.

Welcoming the High Commissioner and his team, Hon. Ibrahim commended the United Kingdom for its longstanding support through the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), particularly under the Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme (GCIEP). He emphasized that this partnership continues to play a pivotal role in enhancing urban resilience, unlocking climate financing, and promoting sustainable infrastructure in Ghana.

According to him, the Ministry values the United Kingdom’s continuous partnership, which has aided in laying a strong foundation for sustainable city development through robust data, planning, and performance tracking tools.

He highlighted key achievements under the GCIEP, including the completion of a comprehensive Urban Baseline Assessment Report, a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework to track urban policy outcomes, and a Capacity Needs Assessment Report to guide institutional strengthening.

The Minister further revealed that the collaboration has also supported climate risk mapping, mobilization of climate finance, and the review of faecal sludge treatment feasibility studies in Wa, Bolgatanga, Yendi, Techiman, and Sunyani with the hope of gaining additional funding from the European Union, European Investment Bank, and Invest International for project completion.

In the same spirit of progress,  he said the GCIEP is also partnering with the Ministry to develop an integrated road and drainage feasibility study for the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, aimed at improving mobility, trade, and flood resilience in the twin cities.

On the way forward, Hon. Ibrahim extended an invitation to the British High Commission to join other development partners working with the Ministry in supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Cities Strategy, launched earlier this year with World Bank support, stating that, the strategy focuses on tackling challenges of rapid urbanization, including mobility, housing, waste management, spatial planning, and governance.

In his submission, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr. Christian Rogg, expressed the United Kingdom’s readiness to continue its collaboration with Ghana in building resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable cities, acknowledging the Ministry’s leadership in driving innovative solutions to local governance and urban development, indicating that they have also worked with other development partners towards similar development in the Northern sectors.

Source: Chantal Aidoo

Public Relations Unit, MLGCRA

Fragmentation, weak regulation, and traditional financing models can no longer drive Ghana’s sanitation transformation. This was the resounding message at the closing of the 36th MOLE Conference on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), which ended on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the Marlin Resort in Gomoa-Fetteh.

Addressing participants, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, stressed the urgency for a harmonised, data-driven, and transparent regulatory framework to ensure equitable and resilientu WASH service delivery nationwide.

He noted that “the WASH sector cannot continue to operate in silos,” adding that Ghana’s progress demands coherence, professional standards, and reliable enforcement of sanitation by-laws across all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Hon. Ibrahim underscored that harmonised regulation is the backbone of public trust, private sector confidence, and quality service delivery. The Ministry, he said, would collaborate with Parliament and sector agencies to strengthen regulation and operational clarity from national to district levels.

On financing, the Minister emphasised that achieving safely managed water and sanitation services for all requires bold and innovative financing models. “Vision requires resources,” he asserted, calling for diversification through public-private partnerships, blended finance, sanitation levies, and climate financing mechanisms.

He reaffirmed government’s commitment to create enabling conditions by expanding private sector participation, widening the fiscal space for sanitation, and strengthening local government financing frameworks.

Highlighting innovation as a “strategic requirement,” Hon. Ibrahim urged stakeholders to support local innovators and youth-led WASH solutions that reflect Ghanaian realities. He called for investment in climate-smart sanitation technologies, digital monitoring systems, and faecal sludge management solutions to drive sustainability and inclusion.

The Minister described the MOLE 36 communiqué as a national call to action, urging all stakeholders to translate conference deliberations into measurable outcomes through policy advocacy, technical collaboration, funding commitments, and research.

He also announced that government is upgrading the Environmental Health and Sanitation Units at the MMDAs into full-fledged departments, in line with the 2016 NDC manifesto, and will soon reactivate the Water and Sanitation Sector Working Group to enhance sector coordination.

Concluding his remarks, Hon. Ibrahim called for unity, commitment, and innovation anchored in local context, stressing that “WASH is not a sectoral concern; it is a national development priority and a human right.”

The MOLE 36 Conference, convened by the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), brought together government agencies, development partners, private sector actors, civil society, and academia to review progress and renew strategies for achieving Ghana’s Sustainable Development Goal 6 commitments.

SOURCE: Darling Maame Efua Cann

MLGCRA PR Unit

In a continued  bid to drive, promote fiscal discipline and evidence-based reporting, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) on Thursday, 6th November 2025, convened a Budget Committee Meeting to validate the Ministry’s third quarter performance report ahead of its submission to the Ministry of Finance.

The session brought together representatives from the Ministry’s departments, allied institutions, and project coordinating units to rigorously review sector performance for July, August, and September 2025, ensuring that every detail reflected the Ministry’s true operational and financial progress.

Addressing participants, the Director in Charge of Budget at the Ministry, Mrs. Freda Faah, underscored the importance of accuracy and collaboration in public financial reporting. She noted that the Ministry collated inputs from key institutions such as the Department of Community Development, Institute of Local Government Studies, Department of Parks and Gardens, Births and Deaths Registry, Social Investment Fund, Office of the Local Government Service, Ghana Productive Safety Net Project II, and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, among others.

Mrs. Faah commended the various teams for their dedication and timely submission of data, which facilitated the efficient completion of the report. She urged all stakeholders to sustain this momentum as preparations begin for the fourth quarter reporting cycle.

The validation exercise reaffirms the Ministry’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and performance-driven governance, ensuring that the Local Government sector remains well-positioned to deliver on its mandate.

Source: Chantal Aidoo

Public Relations Unit, MLGCRA