Local Government Minister Orders Ayawaso Central Assembly to Account for GH¢400,000 Disability Fund

Local Government Minister Ahmed Ibrahim has directed the Ayawaso Central Municipal Assembly to provide detailed records of how more than GH¢400,000 allocated to persons with disabilities has been spent, after officials failed to account for the expenditure during a monitoring exercise.

The directive was issued on 10 June during a ministerial tour of selected assemblies in the Greater Accra Region to assess the utilisation of funds disbursed through the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF). The exercise, led by the minister and his deputy, covered the Ayawaso West, Ayawaso North, Ayawaso Central, and Ayawaso East municipal assemblies, with particular focus on the mandatory 3 per cent allocation of the Common Fund designated for persons with disabilities.

At the Ayawaso Central Municipal Assembly, the minister raised concerns after officials were unable to provide complete documentation on the use of the funds. Preliminary records indicated that only GH¢126,000 had been disbursed to beneficiaries despite the assembly receiving more than GH¢400,000 for disability-related interventions.

“The President has given you money for persons with disabilities. You have received it and disbursed it for them. Shouldn’t it be easier for you to account for how much you received and how it was spent?” the minister asked officials during the visit.

Where Is the Remaining Money?

The minister directed the assembly’s finance officer to submit all relevant records for scrutiny by Friday, 12 June 2026, stressing that if only GH¢126,000 had been utilised, it was necessary to establish the status of the remaining funds and ensure they were being managed in accordance with the law.

However, the Municipal Chief Executive for Ayawaso Central, Rudolph Collingwoode-Williams, offered a different account. He clarified that the unspent portion of the disability fund remains in the Assembly’s dedicated PWD account and has not been misused. According to the MCE, the remaining balance is awaiting the completion of an ongoing vetting process to ensure that only eligible persons benefit from the support.

“The money is sitting in the account, which we clearly showed to the minister when he requested the balance. There is no way the money can be spent on any other purpose because it is specifically intended for persons with disabilities,” the MCE stated.

A Signal of Tougher Oversight

The minister stressed that the exercise was not intended to single out any assembly but rather to strengthen transparency, accountability, and discipline in the management of public resources across all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies.

“Going forward, all MMDAs are going to sit up. Coordinating directors, municipal finance officers, budget officers, and social welfare officers must all take responsibility because accountability is a collective duty,” he said, warning that officials who fail to perform their responsibilities would be held accountable under the existing administrative framework.

The monitoring exercise comes at a critical moment. The broader debate about whether Ghana has truly honoured its commitments to persons with disability has intensified as the country approaches the twentieth anniversary of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715). Questions about the effective use of disability funds are inseparable from that larger conversation about inclusion and accountability.

Ayawaso East Member of Parliament Baba Jamal welcomed the monitoring exercise, describing it as a timely intervention to improve transparency and accountability in local governance. He said the initiative signals a departure from old practices and demonstrates the government’s commitment to ensuring public officials take responsibility.

The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs says the monitoring exercise will continue in assemblies across the country as part of efforts to promote prudent financial management and ensure that funds allocated to vulnerable groups are used for their intended purposes.

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