The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has stated that his ministry facilitated the transfer of all four quarters of the District Assembly Common Fund for 2025.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series, on Monday, April 20, 2026, he emphasised that the previous administration did not take decentralisation seriously, adding that the assembly did not experience it because the two finance ministers did not release the funds.

"This is why the former administrator of the district assembly common fund was voicing out her frustration that the NPP as a government did not take decentralisation serious, the two finance ministers were not releasing the money," he stated.

He assured that the government is still working to release the District Assembly Common Fund for the first quarter of 2026.

He added that during the previous administration, as a Member of Parliament, he repeatedly confronted the former Minister of Finance, Kennedy Ofori Attah, urging him to release the common fund money to the district assemblies before releasing new budget to the Parliament and not to present it without the release of the funds, but said this was not done.

He further commended President John Dramani Mahama and the Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, for releasing the District Assembly Common Fund for their development projects.

He noted that at one point he even asked the Finance Minister to wait until they had seen how the previous money released was being utilised before releasing the next quarter, indicating it was being used properly.

"Join me to thank the president of the republic of Ghana and the finance minister for the four quarters, I have never even granted a radio discussion.

"There was even a time when I told the minister for finance that hold on let me see how the money is being utilised before you send this one," he said.