Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, announced the move while responding to a question on the Floor of Parliament in Accra on Thursday.

He cited Section 1(c) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), which requires every District Assembly to include the Member or Members of Parliament representing constituencies within its jurisdiction.

The Minister explained that the provision established a formal framework for collaboration between MPs and MMDCEs in development planning, budgeting and oversight at the local level.

Professor Kingsley Nyarko, Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, had asked how the Ministry intended to promote stronger working relationships between MPs and MMDCEs to ensure effective governance across the country's local assemblies.

Responding, Mr Ibrahim, who is also the Member of Parliament for Banda, referred to Article 252(1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution, which established the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and mandates Parliament to allocate not less than five per cent of Ghana's total revenue annually to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

He explained that the distribution of the DACF was guided by three key criteria: the development needs of each Assembly, equality to ensure the equitable allocation of national resources, and service pressure, which takes into account the growing demand for public services and infrastructure, particularly in urban areas.

"These criteria ensure that resources are directed to areas where they are most needed, with inputs from the respective MPs during General Assembly meetings," he said.

Mr Ibrahim further stated that under Section 126 of Act 936, the Ministry was enhancing financial allocations through the DACF to strengthen local development planning, improve project implementation and enhance service delivery.

He noted that MPs also benefited from a constituency allocation drawn from a portion of the DACF, commonly referred to as the MPs Common Fund.

"The fund supports small-scale development initiatives, including assistance to vulnerable persons, the provision of farm inputs, and the construction of community facilities such as boreholes and water systems," he told Parliament.

To avoid duplication of projects and ensure coordinated development, the Minister said MMDCEs would be required to hold regular consultations with their MPs to identify priority needs and align interventions with Assembly medium-term development plans and available funding sources.

"The Ministry is working to ensure that these engagements are held consistently, as they provide an important platform for strengthening collaboration between MMDCEs and MPs and improving coordination of development efforts at the local level," he stated.

Mr. Ibrahim also announced that the Ministry was introducing protocols requiring MMDCEs to notify and brief MPs on key planning, budgeting and development committee meetings to ensure constituency priorities were adequately reflected in medium-term development plans and that local projects were jointly monitored.

He added that the Ministry was facilitating joint engagements on strategic national initiatives, citing the recent orientation programme on the Government's 24-Hour Economy Model Markets initiative for Regional Ministers and MMDCEs.

According to him, the programme provided guidance on implementation, stakeholder coordination and financing.

"As the rollout continues, MMDAs are encouraged to brief and involve MPs in local consultations and collaborate with them to support the successful implementation of these interventions," the Minister said.