Mahama Ayariga Sworn In As Local Government, Chieftaincy And Religious Affairs Minister

President John Dramani Mahama has sworn in Mahama Ayariga as Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, tasking him with making decentralisation more meaningful and improving accountability at the local government level.

Mr Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central and former Majority Leader, took the Oath of Allegiance, Oath of Office and Oath of Secrecy at a ceremony at Jubilee House in Accra on Saturday, 29 August 2026.

His appointment followed Parliament’s approval of his nomination on 27 August, after he appeared before the Appointments Committee for vetting. The appointment forms part of President Mahama’s changes to his ministerial team.

President Mahama urged Mr Ayariga to use his experience as a legislator and lawyer to strengthen local administration and ensure that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) become more accountable, financially disciplined and responsive to their communities.

He also asked the new minister to help restore order to Ghana’s towns and cities, citing poor spatial planning, uncontrolled development, sanitation problems, congestion and the encroachment of public spaces as issues requiring attention.

“Public office is a privilege and not a right,” President Mahama said, reminding the two newly sworn-in ministers that their oaths represented commitments to serve with integrity, humility, fairness and fidelity to the Constitution.

Mr Ayariga’s vetting offered some indication of the priorities he may pursue in the ministry.

He told the Appointments Committee that Ghana’s local assemblies could potentially raise close to GH¢20 billion a year from property rates if properties were properly identified, valued and billed.

He proposed a fully digital system covering the identification and valuation of properties, payment of rates and disbursement of the revenue. The objective, he said, would be to improve transparency and make it more difficult for locally generated funds to be diverted.

The proposal is significant because weak revenue mobilisation has remained a challenge for many assemblies, limiting their ability to provide services and finance local development.

On chieftaincy, Mr Ayariga said during his vetting that his ministry would maintain neutrality in chieftaincy disputes. He said the ministry should not interfere in disputes but support the traditional and statutory institutions with the mandate to resolve them.

President Mahama also asked him to work closely with traditional leaders and religious organisations, stressing the importance of Ghana’s cultural and religious diversity to national cohesion.

The President said traditional authorities remained important partners in development, while religious institutions continued to contribute to education, healthcare, social protection and peacebuilding.

He further urged Mr Ayariga to work with other institutions rather than operate the ministry in isolation.

The minister’s appointment moves him from the leadership of Parliament’s Majority Caucus into an executive role at a ministry with responsibility for local governance, decentralisation, chieftaincy and religious affairs.

After the swearing-in, Mr Ayariga thanked President Mahama for the confidence placed in him and pledged his commitment to helping deliver the administration’s promises to Ghanaians.

The President said the two new ministers should remember that Ghanaians expected results, integrity, accessibility and accountability, and urged them to ensure that decisions taken in office met the tests of legality, fairness and public interest.