64% of Ghanaians Oppose New Districts as CLGA Survey Exposes Service Delivery Failures

A national survey by the Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA) has found that 64 percent of Ghanaians believe the country's existing 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are sufficient and want the government to stop creating new districts, citing poor service delivery and political interference in the decentralisation process.

The findings, presented at a media launch in Accra on Tuesday, November 10, were based on interviews with 10,400 citizens across the country for a research report titled "The Continuous Creation of Districts in Ghana: Legal, Developmental, Fiscal and Political Implications" . An even larger majority—87 percent—called for a temporary freeze on the establishment of new districts .

A Verdict on Existing Assemblies

The survey asked respondents to assess the performance of their district assemblies across seven key areas: education, water, sanitation, roads, security, and two others. The overall rating was negative, with 63 percent expressing dissatisfaction with local service delivery .

Isaac Owusu, Head of Research at CLGA, said the results raised fundamental questions about whether creating more districts was achieving its stated purpose of bringing governance closer to the people.

"Creating a district is supposed to serve the basic needs of the people, but the citizens say they are not getting the benefits from such an initiative," Owusu said. "So, we are saying we have to take our time and see how best we can help with the existing districts before creating more" .

Owusu went further, questioning whether some existing districts had even met the constitutional and legal criteria for their establishment. "If you look at some of the districts that have been created, you can see that they don't qualify to be a district," he said .

Political Interference Concerns

The survey also found that 81 percent of respondents believed political interference was a significant factor in decisions to create new districts . The CLGA said this raised doubts about whether the process was being guided by the development needs of communities or by political considerations.

The organisation called on successive governments to strictly comply with the legal framework governing district creation, irrespective of political interests, and to prioritise the capacity and performance of existing assemblies before considering new ones .

"A New District Does Not Create Development"

Dr Eric Oduro Osae, CEO of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana, who spoke at the launch, challenged the underlying logic of administrative expansion.

"The creation of a new district does not automatically create a stronger local economy, a functioning health facility, a reliable water supply, improved roads, better schools or employment opportunities," Oduro Osae said . He argued that the capacity of existing assemblies to fulfil their responsibilities should be assessed before any decision is taken to expand the country's administrative structure.

A Government Still Expanding

The CLGA's findings place the survey in direct tension with the government's ongoing decentralisation agenda. Earlier in 2026, a committee chaired by NDC Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah recommended the elevation of 33 local assemblies—12 municipalities upgraded to metropolitan status, one district elevated directly to metropolitan status, and 20 districts raised to municipal level . Local Government Minister Ahmed Ibrahim said the report would "guide the Ministry in making informed policy decisions" and align with President Mahama's "Resetting Agenda" .

The government has also pointed to increased fiscal transfers as evidence of its commitment to strengthening local governance, citing a record GH¢6.29 billion disbursement to the District Assemblies Common Fund in 2025 .

But the CLGA's survey suggests that citizens are not experiencing the benefits of those transfers in their daily lives. The organisation's deputy executive director, Gladys Tetteh, acknowledged that public opinion remains divided—some Ghanaians support new districts because they believe governance is brought closer to the people, while others see it as an unnecessary financial burden .

The report's recommendations are clear: strengthen what exists before building more. Whether the government heeds that advice as it considers the Nketiah committee's elevation proposals will be a test of whether evidence or political expediency shapes Ghana's decentralisation trajectory.

Key Findings:

· 64% oppose creation of additional districts; existing 261 MMDAs sufficient

· 87% support a temporary freeze on new district creation

· 81% believe political interference influences district creation decisions

· 63% negatively rate existing assemblies' performance across education, water, sanitation, roads, security

· Sample size: 10,400 citizens nationwide

· Report title: "The Continuous Creation of Districts in Ghana: Legal, Developmental, Fiscal and Political Implications".