A High-Level Policy Dia­logue, aimed at strengthening cooperation on decentralisation between Ghana, Switzerland and Germany, was orgnised in Accra by the Inter-Ministerial Coordi­nating Committee (IMCC) on decentralisationThe IMCC is the key national institutional mechanism for the in­ter-sectoral policy coordination of decentralisation and for the decen­tralised local governance system established under the Governance Act 2016, Act (936).The executive secretary of the IMCC, Dr Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, in his remarks stated that the high-level meeting was to strengthen the relationship between the Government, Swit­zerland and Germany, particularly under the DACF-RFG (Respon­sive Factor Grant) programme.The DACF-RFG is a per­formance-based grant system designed to incentivise MMDAs to improve local governance."We want to build on the existing relationship in support of Ghana's decentralisation and development priorities and in recognition of resilient support of both Switzerland and Germany," Dr Hoedoafia noted.He said Switzerland and Ger­many were the only countries cur­rently supporting the DACF-RFG Programme, which had enabled the construction of over 3,000 infrastructural projects across the 261 MMDA's.The Minister of Local Govern­ment, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, in a short remarks underscored the importance the government placed on decentralisation.He added that President John Dramani Mahama was commit­ted to advancing decentralisation through several key reforms namely, the election of Metro­politan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) on a non-partisan basis to strength­en accountability and enhance citizen participation; a progressive increase in the DACF from five per cent to 7.5 per cent to expand the fiscal space available to the MMDAs."The finalisation and passage of the District Assemblies Borrowing Bill is to empower assemblies to mobilise resources for develop­ment; and the deepened inclusion of Traditional Authorities and Religious Leaders to ensure their meaningful involvement in local governance," he stated.The Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Simone Giger, on her part reaffirmed his country's commitment to Ghana's decen­tralisation agenda, stating, "In our new Cooperation Programme with Ghana, Local Governance and Decentralisation is one of the three priority areas."We believe in the President's vision and the Minister's commit­ment.

But decentralisation cannot happen unless higher levels of government are willing to hand over real power and resources," she indicated.She also added that Switzerland was walking the talk, emphasis­ing that they would support the sector with technical assistance, training, and hope to collaborate even further with the soon-to-be established University for local government studies.The meeting concluded with the symbolic signing of the bilateral agreement between Switzerland and Ghana with a mutual com­mitment to scale up cooperation, enhance capacity building, and align decentralisation efforts with Ghana's national development goals.It was attended by the Deputy Minister of Local Government , Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Rita Naa Odoley-Sowah; the Head of Operations at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Mr Philipp Orga; the Director-General of the National Development Planning Commis­sion (NDPC), Dr Audrey Smock Amoah; the Head of the Civil Ser­vice, Dr Evans Aggrey-Darkoh; as well as representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Develop­ment Bank, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenar­beit (GIZ) and the DACF. BY TIMES REPORTER