Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Rita Naa Odoley Sowah (MP), articulated Ghana’s position on SDG localisation"at a high-level side event on Multi-Level Governance for SDG Localisation held on Wednesday, 28th May 2025, as part of the resumed second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly in Nairobi.

Representing Ghana, Hon. Sowah delivered a compelling address that highlighted the country's structured and inclusive approach to localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her presentation showcased Ghana’s strategic integration of SDG targets into national and local planning systems, while reinforcing the government’s commitment to driving impactful urban and local development through innovation, data, and partnerships.

She explained that Ghana’s governance architecture for SDG implementation is anchored on strong coordination between national and sub-national institutions. At the national level, Hon. Sowah emphasized the leadership role of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) in setting development frameworks and issuing planning guidelines aligned with the SDGs. She also underscored the contributions of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, working with the Ministry of Finance, in ensuring that local planning and budget processes reflect global and national priorities.

The Deputy Minister spotlighted the work of Ghana’s SDGs Advisory Unit at the Presidency and its vital role in aligning government efforts with the global 2030 Agenda. She also noted that Ghana’s national policies, including the National Urban Policy and the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy, embody the principles of alignment, adaptation, and adoption of the SDGs, in line with the UN-Habitat’s Partnership Platform for Localizing the SDGs.

Drawing from her Ministry’s experience, Hon. Sowah highlighted the Ghana Smart SDG Cities Programme as a flagship initiative currently being implemented across ten Assemblies, with support from UN-Habitat. She stressed that the initiative is advancing integrated urban planning, data-driven governance, and community-centred development solutions in rapidly growing cities.

In reflecting on progress at the local level, she commended the pioneering efforts of the Accra Metropolitan, Ga West Municipal, and Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assemblies in producing Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), which demonstrate Ghana’s commitment to transparency and results in SDG delivery.

Monitoring and evaluation, she explained, remains a cornerstone of Ghana’s approach, with NDPC templates adopted across all levels of government to track contributions to the SDGs. She also affirmed the role of Regional Coordinating Councils in supervising and evaluating Local Authorities under Ghana’s decentralised system.

To sustain progress, Hon. Sowah pointed to the importance of institutional support systems such as the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation, the Institute of Local Government Studies, and the Office of the Head of Local Government Service, all of which play critical roles in policy guidance and capacity-building.

In her concluding remarks, the Deputy Minister expressed Ghana’s readiness to work closely with UN-Habitat and other development partners in implementing the New Urban Agenda, adopting the forthcoming UN-Habitat Strategic Plan (2026–2029), and promoting people-centred smart city development.

She cited the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) in Ga Mashie as a practical example of how collaborative and community-based initiatives can transform the lives of urban dwellers.

“Ghana is not only localising the SDGs; we are living them. Through strong governance, empowered communities, and global partnerships, we are committed to building sustainable, inclusive cities that leave no one behind,” Hon. Sowah stated.

The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) has welcomed a high-level delegation from the newly established Africa Centre for Nature-Based Climate Action (AC4NCA), a civil society organisation championing ecosystem-based responses to climate change. The engagement formed part of AC4NCA’s broader stakeholder outreach strategy to introduce its mission and explore avenues for collaboration with government in fostering climate resilience and sustainable development.

The delegation, led by the esteemed Board Chair of AC4NCA, Rev. Dr. Joyce Rosalind Aryee, held strategic discussions with senior officials of the Ministry on aligning efforts to localise climate action through nature-based solutions (NbS). AC4NCA, though only three months in operation, has positioned itself as a pan-African platform for promoting community-led, ecologically sustainable interventions that align with both the Paris Agreement and local development needs.

Chairing the meeting on behalf of the Ministry, Mr. Dela Kemevor, Director of General Administration, extended a warm welcome to the delegation and conveyed the Ministry’s appreciation for AC4NCA’s vision and proactive approach. He commended the Centre’s emphasis on nature-based and community-driven strategies, noting their critical relevance in responding to the growing threats posed by climate change.

Mr. Kemevor underscored the important role civil society organisations can play in complementing government interventions. “Our Ministry is committed to driving resilience at the grassroots level,” he stated. “We see a strategic opportunity in this engagement with AC4NCA to integrate innovative, locally anchored nature-based solutions into ongoing programmes across the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).”

He further highlighted ongoing initiatives being implemented by the Ministry to enhance environmental sustainability and climate resilience, including mainstreaming climate change into local development plans and supporting sustainable land use practices. He expressed confidence that a partnership with AC4NCA would amplify these efforts through synergies in advocacy, implementation, and community mobilisation—especially leveraging the Ministry’s networks with traditional and religious leaders.

In her presentation, Rev. Dr. Aryee introduced AC4NCA as a pan-African civil society platform grounded in the belief that African communities possess the indigenous knowledge, adaptive capacities, and collective will to respond to the climate crisis. She highlighted the Centre’s thematic priorities, including reforestation, biodiversity conservation, forest protection, and climate-smart agriculture, all tailored to respond to the continent’s unique vulnerabilities.

“Africa contributes the least to global emissions but remains among the most affected by the climate crisis,” she remarked. “At AC4NCA, we are committed to changing this narrative, not by lamenting our vulnerability, but by transforming it into action through inclusive, grassroots-driven climate solutions.”

The delegation reiterated the Centre’s commitment to social equity, gender inclusion, and youth empowerment, noting that their programming will deliberately engage women, young people, indigenous communities, and marginalised groups. These are often the most affected by climate change, yet are custodians of valuable ecological knowledge and resilience strategies.

Both parties expressed optimism about deepening collaboration in the coming months and pledged to identify immediate and medium-term entry points for joint action. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to fostering strong institutional linkages that will accelerate climate action through locally owned and ecologically sustainable solutions.

Source: Sandra Owusu Asamoah

 (Public Relations Unit MLGCRA)

The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim (MP), has underscored the critical role of data in national and local development, as he delivered the keynote address at the official launch of eight Constituency Profile Reports under the Data for Accountability Project (DAP II). The ceremony, held at the Lancaster Hotel in Accra, brought together policymakers, statisticians, civil society actors, development partners, and Members of Parliament.

The reports were developed through a collaborative effort led by the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), and On Think Tanks (OTT), with support from the Hewlett Foundation. The profiled constituencies include Akatsi North, Odododiodio, Ablekuma South, Okaikwei South, Amansie Central, Fanteakwa North, Ketu South, Sekyere East, Talensi, and Tano South. These constituencies were strategically selected based on leadership roles within key Parliamentary Committees to align the reports with national legislative and policy priorities.

In his address, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim commended the initiative and highlighted its alignment with the Ministry’s mandate, emphasizing that without reliable data, effective planning, budgeting, and forecasting by Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and particularly the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), would be impossible.

“Evidence-based decision making is the way forward. Reports like these will significantly improve the design and implementation of socio-economic interventions in our districts,” the Minister stated. He further lauded the use of administrative data at the district level to inform the profiling exercise, describing it as a practical demonstration of decentralization at work.

The Minister directed MMDAs covering the selected constituencies to reference the reports in formulating their Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs) for 2026–2029. He called for the allocation of adequate resources to ensure that the insights from the reports translate into tangible development outcomes, adding that “each constituency’s development should be guided by the realities on the ground.”

Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim also urged Members of Parliament to utilize the reports as tools for advocacy, community engagement, and local development tracking. “These are not just documents to be shelved, they are blueprints for progress,” he said.