The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of violating the 1992 Constitution by introducing what it describes as an unlawful parallel formula for the distribution of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF).
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh said the new ministerial guidelines effectively override Parliament’s constitutionally approved formula for sharing funds among the country’s 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
According to him, the formula approved by Parliament for 2025 was data-driven and based on empirical indicators such as social needs, education, healthcare delivery and equitable development. He stressed that the framework was not politically motivated but structured around a scientifically grounded, equity-based model.
However, he argued that the Minister’s subsequent guidelines introduced fixed expenditure allocations that do not appear in the approved formula.
He cited the directive allocating 25 percent to the 24-Hour Economy Market initiative; 10 percent each for CHPS compounds, school blocks, boreholes and sanitation projects; 5 percent for administration; and 20 percent for legacy projects.
Annoh-Dompreh maintained that these rigid percentages have no foundation in the Parliamentary formula and amount to an unconstitutional alteration of the approved distribution framework.
Quoting Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, he said the authority to determine the formula for sharing the DACF rests solely with Parliament.
“That authority is neither symbolic nor advisory. It is binding,” he said, adding that Parliament had already approved the 2025 DACF formula for the fiscal year and distributed allocations based on an equity-driven model.
He contended that by introducing new mandatory percentages, expenditure categories and national priorities not contained in the approved formula, the Executive had gone beyond offering guidance and had effectively redesigned the allocation structure.
“In doing so, the Executive has stepped beyond guidance into redesign, and that by every constitutional law is ultra vires,” he stated.
The Minority is therefore demanding the immediate withdrawal of the ministerial guidelines, insisting that any amendments to the DACF formula must be subjected to Parliamentary approval in accordance with constitutional provisions.
