THE Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCC), Dr Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, has pledged the commitment of the government to the devolution of the education sector to improve service delivery at the local level.
Dr Hoedoafia made the pledge when the IMCC paid a working visit to the Minister for Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, at the Ministry of Education in Accra on August 21, 2025.
The visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration towards advancing Ghana’s decentralisation reforms, particularly within the education sector.
It also formed part of Dr Hoedoafia’s broader engagements with members of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee to strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration.
During the discussion, both parties reflected on earlier efforts under the Pre-Tertiary Education Act that was initiated during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government and the lessons learnt from its implementation.
Dr Hoedoafia said: “One of the marching orders of President Mahama is the issue of education sector devolution.”
According to him, although the IMCC had worked very well on the pre-tertiary education bill prior to 2016, with decentralisation provisions at the core of the bill, the change of government, he said, stalled the process.
Dr Hoedoafia noted that the bill was eventually passed into law without the decentralisation provisions and therefore required the necessary amendments in consultation with all stakeholders.
Mr Iddrisu expressed the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate with the IMCC to deliver equitable and accountable education services at the local level.
He said that the definition of basic education to include senior high schools by the previous government was wrong, adding “Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) in law does not include free senior high school, making that provision unconstitutional.”
While endorsing the decentralisation drive, Mr Iddrisu stressed that resources remain the biggest challenge.
He announced that a four-member team from the Ministry, led by the Technical Advisor, Prof. K.T. Oduro would work closely with the IMCC to fast-track the reforms in the education sector.
The forward-looking meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of both institutions to advancing Ghana’s decentralisation agenda, with a strong focus on education sector reforms that promote inclusivity, accountability, and improved service delivery at the local level.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY