SECOND ANNUAL PROFESSOR KWAMENA AHWOI LECTURES ON DECENTRALISATION
THEME:
DECENTRALISATION AND SUSTAINABLE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT; HOW THUS FAR
PROFILE OF PROFESSOR KWAMENA AHWOI
Professor Kwamena Ahwoi is an Oxford University Rhodes Scholar and a University of Ghana Pioneer Tobacco Company Scholar. He holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and a Bachelor of Law (LLB) respectively from the two universities.
Professor Ahwoi was for 12 years Ghana’s Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (1988-2000) and in 1997 was also simultaneously Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs. He directly supervised and chaired the Inter-Ministerial Task Force that prepared the first major legislation on decentralized local government in Ghana, the Local Government Law, 1988 PNDCL 207. He made substantial inputs into the work of the Committee of Experts (Constitution) and the Consultative Assembly whose respective works finally culminated in Chapter 20 of the 1992 Constitution on “Decentralisation and Local Government”. He piloted the Local Government Act of 1993 (Act 462); the District Assemblies Common Fund Act, 1993. (Act 455); the National Development Planning Commission Act, 1994. (Act, 479); and the National Development Planning (System) Act, 1994. (480), through Parliament. He was responsible for the establishment of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) with funding from the World Bank which was commissioned by President Jerry John Rawlings in 1999.
Professor Ahwoi has considerable international experience in the areas of local government and decentralization as well as foreign affairs. He was a Founding Member of the Board of Directors of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) based in London, UK; President of the Afro-Asia Rural Reconstruction Organisation (AARRO), now the Afro-Asia Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) based in New Delhi, India; and a Founding Member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) based at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK.
He was Chairman of the High-Level Strategic Committee on Decentralisation Reforms in Ghana (2010-2011) and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force responsible for the Review of Ghana’s Decentralisation Legislation of the MLGRD (2011-2016). He was the Chairman of the Committee that worked on the disparate Local Government legislations that culminated in the enactment of the current legislation on Local Government and Decentralisation, the Local Governance Act, 2016, Act 936.
Professor Kwamena Ahwoi currently chairs the Legislative Review Committee on Decentralisation constituted by the Inter Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD). Professor Ahwoi has a large number of books and peer reviewed and refereed articles on Local Government and Decentralisation to his credit. He is married and has four (4) children.
MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PROFESSOR KWAMENA AHWOI ANNUAL LECTURES ON DECENTRALISATION.
The main objective of the Professor Kwamena Ahwoi Annual Lectures on Decentralisation is to provide a platform for intellectual discourse and constructive analysis of Government policies on decentralisation, local governance and local development in Ghana by tapping into the wealth of experience of Professor Kwamena Ahwoi and other experts in the sub-sectors of decentralisation, local governance and local development to guide policy in the sector and to ensure the common understanding of the policies by all stakeholders.
Specifically, the lectures aim to achieve:
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Foster Dialogue: Facilitate discussions among policymakers, academics, practitioners, and community leaders. This dialogue helps to bridge gaps between theory and practice, and promotes mutual understanding of different perspectives;
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Policy Influence: Provide evidence-based recommendations and insights that can influence local, regional, and national policy-making. The lecture aims to shape the agenda and encourage more effective and equitable governance practices;
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Raise Awareness: Increase awareness about the importance of decentralization and effective local governance in localizing and achieving the UN Sustainable Development goals and improving community well-being;
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Knowledge Dissemination: Share the latest research findings, case studies, and best practices related to decentralization, local governance and local development. This helps to update and educate stakeholders about emerging trends, successful strategies and best practices.
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Networking Opportunities: Create a platform for professionals to connect, share experiences, and build partnerships. This networking can lead to collaborations and initiatives that promote the localization and the achievement of sustainable development.
THE THEME OF THE SECOND ANNUAL LECTURES AND JUSTIFICATION
The theme of the Second Annual Lecture is Decentralisation and Sustainable Local Development; How thus far. It is imperative that as a new government has taken the reins of power, stakeholders in the sub-sector of decentralisation should come together and have a common understanding of the policies in the sub-sector and how they are being or intend to be rolled out.
The Keynote Speaker for the Lecture will be Dr. Esther Ofei Aboagye, a former Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS). She is expected to throw the spot light on the progress and challenges of Ghana’s decentralisation program and its impact on sustainable local development, taking into account the decentralisation and local government policies of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama.
The First Supporting Speaker will be Professor Lord Mensah. He is the Head of Local Government Service (OHLGS). He is expected to speak on Enhancing Administrative Decentralisation for Sustainable Local Development.
The Second Supporting Speaker will be Professor Cephas Mawuko Yevugah. He is the Coordinator for the Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy program at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). He is expected to speak on Linkages between Ghana’s Decentralisation Program and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Lecture will serve as a vital forum for advancing understanding and practice in the field of decentralization, local governance and local development.
CHAIRPERSON
H.E. Simone Giger
Ambassador of Switzerland to Ghana, Togo & Benin
Simone Giger is Switzerland’s Ambassador to Ghana, Benin and Togo with residence in Accra since August 2022. In her role, she is responsible for the maintenance and deepening of bilateral relations between Switzerland and her countries of accreditation. She is the first woman to hold this position. Ambassador Giger started her career as a microfinance consultant in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2004.
In the past 20 years, she has lived and worked in 8 different countries (Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova, Switzerland, and Ghana). Since joining Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in 2006, Ambassador Giger has acquired in-depth know-how in the strategic design, management, and quality assurance of international cooperation programs.
She has also collected significant experiences in the safeguarding of Swiss interests in the areas of politic and economic relations, migration, human rights, multilateral affairs, as well as culture and communication. Throughout her career she has led teams of different sizes and has been responsible for the management of annual budgets of up to 20 Mio. USD. Ambassador Giger holds a Master of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Economics from the Free University in Berlin, and a Master in Russian and East European Studies from Indiana University in Bloomington.
She grew up in a small town in Switzerland, where she received her primary and secondary education. She speaks German, English, French, and Russian. Ambassador Giger is married with two children. She is passionate about women and youth empowerment and issues of sustainability and inclusion. She is an avid reader and an art enthusiast.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Esther Ofei Aboagye
(Former Director, ILGS & Local Governance Expert)
She is the chairperson of ISODEC. She is a seasoned researcher with a solid track record as a policy analyst and a development management expert. Over the years, she has played lead roles in training policy/law makers, as well as the development of research and policy guidelines in a range of areas including local economic development, gender mainstreaming, natural resources and environmental management.
She was the Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) Dr. Ofei-Aboagye was a senior lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). She has worked as a consultant on programme design and evaluation exercises for both international and national organizations.
She has a PhD in Public Policy from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Carleton University, Ottawa Canada; and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Studies and a Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She serves on a number of other boards in the public and non-governmental sectors including the University of Ghana Council and the National Development Planning Commission.
She became a member of the College of Research Associates of the United Nations University Institute of Natural Resources in Africa in 1999; and is a member of the international action-policy-research network, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)
GUEST SPEAKER
Prof Lord Mawuko-Yevugah
Associate Professor
GIMPA School of Public Service and Governance
Professor Lord Mawuko-Yevugah is internationally recognized expert in international relations and foreign policy analysis. Apart from being a distinguished faculty at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), he is also a Consulting Dean of Graduate School at the SALT University College.
He was the immediate past Director of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance at GIMPA. He currently coordinates both the PhD program and the Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy Program at the GIMPA School of Public Service and Governance, having previously served as the founding Head of Department for Public Management and International Relations. He is also the Founder and Lead Researcher of Centre for African Diplomacy & Global Engagement (AFRO-GLOBAL), and the Founder & Convener of International Relations and Diplomacy Network Ghana (IRDNGhana).
Educated at the prestigious University of Cambridge as a Commonwealth Scholar, Prof Lord Mawuko-Yevugah has held various research fellowships including the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Research Fellowship, Geneva Graduate Institute of International Relations and Development Global South Research Fellowship, and American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Young Scholars Fellowship.
Prof. Mawuko-Yevugah has published widely in the areas of international political economy aid and international development cooperation; comparative politics of development in Africa; political economy of Ghana; and postcolonial theory. He is the author of a number of books including, Made in Ghana: Reflections on Governance and Power Shifts (University of Ghana Press, 2018); Reinventing Development: Aid Reform and Technologies of Governance in Ghana (Routledge, 2016); African Youth Cultures in a Globalized World (Ashgate, 2015).
GUEST SPEAKER
Professor Lord Mensah
Head of Service
Local Government Service)
Professor Lord Mensah is a distinguished academic and financial economist with over 18 years of experience in lecturing and consulting for prominent institutions, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Bank of Ghana. He received his PhD in Applied Economics-Finance at the University of Antwerp, Belgium in 2011.
He also earned his MSc in Financial Mathematics at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany in 2004. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 2001. Until his appointment as Head of Local Government Service, he was a full Professor of Financial Economics at the University of Ghana Business School, Finance Department to be specific. As Executive Director of the African Centre for Development Finance and Head of the Local Government Service, he provides strategic leadership and technical direction, leveraging his expertise in fiscal decentralisation, financial management and local governance. With strong leadership and managerial skills,
Professor Mensah has demonstrated excellence in team building, communication and interpersonal skills, effectively handling multiple assignments with international agencies, government and non-governmental organisations. His experience serving on various committees has honed his human resources management skills, enabling him to drive collaborative efforts and promote effective service delivery. Professor Mensah's background in finance strengthens Ghana's fiscal decentralisation policy, while his research has been widely recognised and indexed on prominent platforms such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.
He provides strong leadership in community development initiatives, analysing financial data to inform decision-making and promote citizen engagement. With his blend of academic prowess and policy experience, Professor Mensah is poised to reshape local governance for the better.