Governance analyst and lecturer Dr. Abiire Awineyesema has called for intensified capacity-building programs for assembly members to improve district performance under Ghana’s District Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT).
Speaking in a one-on-one interview with Dreamz FM’s James Nana Tsiquaye, Dr. Awineyesema said many assembly members lack adequate understanding of the legal and administrative requirements needed to secure performance-based grants under the DPAT system.
He explained that DPAT is a funding mechanism that rewards metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies based on their performance in governance, financial management and service delivery.
According to him, the grants are funded mainly by the German Development Bank and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs to support local development and sustainable development goals.
Dr. Awineyesema described the funding as “free money” available to assemblies that comply with legal and administrative procedures outlined in laws such as the Local Governance Act, Public Financial Management Act and Public Procurement Act.
He said assemblies are assessed based on “controllable events,” meaning activities that fall directly under the mandate of district management and assembly structures.
The governance analyst expressed concern over poor performances recorded by some assemblies in the Upper East Region during the 2024 DPAT assessment, citing Bongo District Assembly as an example of an assembly that scored significantly lower than others.
He attributed some of the challenges to prolonged disputes over the election of presiding members, weak understanding of governance procedures and inadequate training for assembly members.
According to him, some assemblies fail to meet basic compliance indicators such as approving budgets properly, discussing management letters from external auditors and constituting committees according to law.
Dr. Awineyesema said assembly members often focus excessively on partisan politics instead of local development priorities, adding that the situation undermines effective governance.
He also criticized the limited orientation and training provided to assembly members, saying many receive only a few hours of capacity building despite the complexity of local governance laws and procedures.
He urged the Ministry of Local Government to strengthen training programs for assembly members and technocrats to improve compliance and service delivery.
Dr. Awineyesema said assemblies that perform well under DPAT can secure millions of Ghana cedis for infrastructure, sanitation, education and other development projects.
