Mahama to MMDCEs: Clean Up Your Districts or Lose Your Jobs

President John Dramani Mahama has issued a strong warning to all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs): clean communities or risk losing your job.

During a Thank You Tour in Dodowa on Friday, May 16, the President announced that cleanliness will now be a key performance indicator for assessing the work of MMDCEs across the country. According to him, the days of overlooking sanitation are over.

“Cleanliness will become one of the main criteria for measuring the performance of MMDCEs. It will determine whether they stay in office or are removed,” President Mahama said to a crowd of party supporters and local leaders.

This new directive comes in the wake of repeated flooding in Accra and other major towns—disasters the President linked to blocked drains, poor sanitation, unregulated construction, and the growing impact of climate change.

Mahama described the flooding as “unacceptable” and said that local government leaders must take greater responsibility.

To tackle the problem, a national task force has already begun implementing a major flood prevention strategy. This includes desilting drains, relocating buildings in waterways, and strict enforcement of building regulations.

Specific hotspots like the Odaw Basin and Kaneshie-Mallam corridor have been prioritized.

The President also expressed frustration over delays in projects under the World Bank-supported Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) initiative.

He called on agencies to speed up work and urged residents to avoid flood-prone areas, especially during heavy rains.

In a move to boost local capacity, President Mahama revealed that 80% of revenue from the District Assemblies Common Fund will now be paid directly to the MMDAs. This funding, he said, will support critical development and sanitation efforts.

He also announced that Cabinet is considering full decentralization of the sanitation budget, giving every district full control over its sanitation planning and execution.

“Accra deserves to be clean and safe,” he concluded. “That’s why we’re aligning the Greater Accra Flood Master Control Plan with our national climate strategy.”