Urban Roads, not MMDCEs, responsible for desilting major drains – Local Gov’t minister

The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has dismissed assertions that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) should be blamed for the failure to desilt major storm drains, insisting that the legal responsibility rests with the Department of Urban Roads and the Ghana Hydrological Authority.

Speaking to JoyNews' Fatau Bayaga at Alajo during the second day of the National General Clean-up Exercise on Saturday, July 11, 2026, the Minister said criticisms directed at MMDCEs over clogged storm drains were misplaced because district assemblies neither control the budget nor the mandate for maintaining major drainage systems.

According to him, while assemblies play an important role in sanitation and the maintenance of community drains, large storm drains fall under the jurisdiction of Urban Roads, which receives dedicated funding for such works.

To say that the MMDCEs are sleeping on the job is something that I won't take lightly. Because the responsibility of desilting drains and the storm drains is the responsibility of Urban Roads. Those monies go to Urban Roads. So how can you come and be insulting a DCE who is merely responsible for primary drains?" he questioned.

Ahmed Ibrahim explained that district assemblies receive only a small fraction of their allocation from the District Assemblies Common Fund for sanitation activities, making it impossible to undertake extensive drainage maintenance while fulfilling other environmental sanitation responsibilities.

He revealed that only 10 per cent of the Common Fund allocated to assemblies is earmarked for sanitation.

Using his own district as an example, the Minister disclosed that his assembly received GH¢13 million for the 2025 financial year, with only GH¢1.3 million available for sanitation.

He argued that the amount must cover a wide range of responsibilities, including:

• Street sweeping
• Waste collection and disposal
• Drain maintenance
• Recycling activities
• Payment of sanitation workers
• Other environmental health programmes

"The amount given to MMDCEs, the money given to my DCE for the 2025 first to fourth quarter, was GH¢13 million. Ten per cent for sanitation is GH¢1.3 million. Can you use GH¢1.3 million for the entire sanitation work in my district for the whole year? Recruiting people to be sweeping, paying them, sending recyclables, etc. Can you use GH¢1.3 million for the whole year?" he asked.

The Minister maintained that responsibility for major storm drains lies with Urban Roads and should have been discharged before the onset of the rainy season to reduce flooding risks.

That is the responsibility of Urban Roads. And Urban Roads should have done it before the rains set in, not the MMDCEs," he stressed.

His comments come amid heightened public debate over flood prevention measures following the devastating floods that recently affected parts of Greater Accra and several other regions.

Existing legislation clearly distinguishes the responsibilities of national agencies from those of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies regarding drainage infrastructure.

Under the Ghana Hydrological Authority Act, 2022 (Act 1085), the Ghana Hydrological Authority is responsible for the planning, design, execution, operation and maintenance of flood control infrastructure and major drainage systems. The Department of Urban Roads also has technical responsibility for large-scale storm drains.

Meanwhile, the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) assigns Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies responsibility for constructing and maintaining inner-town and community drains, as well as enacting and enforcing sanitation by-laws within their jurisdictions.

The legal framework therefore places responsibility for major storm drains on national agencies, while local assemblies are mandated to manage neighbourhood drainage systems and broader environmental sanitation within their respective districts.