Govt Assures Assembly Members Of Imminent Release Of Outstanding Allowances

The Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Rita Odoley Sowah, has assured Assembly Members across the country that outstanding allowances for the first quarter of 2026 will be released in the coming days.

According to her, the payments are currently pending at the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, and efforts are being made to ensure their early release.

Hon. Odoley Sowah gave the assurance during the launch of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana’s (NALAG) Exercise Book Distribution Initiative held at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Conference Hall on Wednesday.

She also disclosed that the Ministry was in discussions with the leadership of NALAG to facilitate the procurement of motorbikes for Assembly Members to support their work in communities.

The Deputy Minister appealed to Assembly Members to continue to employ dialogue in addressing issues affecting them to ensure the smooth administration of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Earlier, the President of NALAG, Hon. Alfred Asiedu Adjei, appealed for the speedy release of the outstanding allowances, describing them as essential to enabling Assembly Members to effectively engage with their communities and support vulnerable constituents.

He noted that many Assembly Members traversed difficult and expansive electoral areas under challenging conditions and renewed the Association’s appeal for the provision of motorbikes to facilitate their work.

According to him, the provision of motorbikes had become an operational necessity rather than a luxury, as Assembly Members remained the closest representatives of government to the people at the grassroots.

Hon. Asiedu Adjei expressed optimism that the government would once again demonstrate its commitment to strengthening grassroots governance by facilitating the payment of the outstanding allowances and providing the needed logistical support for Assembly Members.

The announcement formed part of discussions held during the launch of NALAG’s nationwide exercise book distribution initiative, which seeks to support primary school pupils across all 16 regions under the theme, “Local Governance for Educational Transformation.”

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