The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the World Bank, has launched the Sub-National Public Expenditure and Financial Assessment (PEFA) and Public Financial Management (PFM) Review to intensify assessment of public financial management across all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The initiative seeks to strengthen institutional capacity of local authorities to manage public resources such as the District Assemblies Common Fund—which surpasses GH¢5 billion, effectively alongside examine local government financial systems to establish whether existing structures can accurately account for the growing resources allocated.
Speaking during the launch of the programme on the theme, “Strengthening Sub-National Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Assessment and Public Financial Management Review” on Thursday, 5 November 2026, World Bank representative, Raymond Muhula emphasized on the need for increased funding to be matched by stronger accountability and service delivery systems.
Mr. Muhula further highlighted the progress made in recent years, pointing to the performance tracking metrics.
”The Center for Local Governance Advocacy prepares the PFM league table—most of you are aware of it. And it shows that the average score rose from 22 percent in 2023 to 56 percent in 2025. That’s real progress, all of you will admit,” he said.
He also stressed that empirical validation is vital to ensure upcoming reforms are grounded in verifiable institutional data.
“We need additional data to confirm these findings, to make sure that they are analytically supported with data, that can be generalized,” he said.
Mr. Muhula cautioned that structural vulnerabilities persist across local governance structures, noting that nearly half of the assemblies lag behind minimum benchmarks.
”But it also tells us that nearly half of MMDAs still fall short of the minimum benchmark. Procurement planning, financial reporting, internal audit and follow-up on audit findings still remain weak,” he said.
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Story by Resurrection Ahedor | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Emmanuella Ntowbea Marbell
