Engineer Philip Lartey, former Head of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, has advocated for decentralising PPPs in Ghana to boost national development. He proposes that the Ministry of Finance enhance the capacity of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to better understand and implement PPPs locally, turning them into a more efficient development tool.
As the CEO of Don Wudi Investment, Mr Lartey stressed that PPPs are vital for financing sustainable government projects and enabling collaboration between the private sector and government. He believes that empowering MMDAs to directly manage development projects and collaborate with the private sector would bypass bureaucratic obstacles, speeding up project delivery.
Despite the government’s interest in PPPs, Mr Lartey highlighted that bureaucratic delays and political cycles hinder their effectiveness. The slow pace of government-driven projects often discourages private investors, making the need for a more efficient local-level framework urgent.
Decentralising PPPs would address these challenges by facilitating quicker project implementation. Local governments are more attuned to their communities’ needs, which would enable the design and execution of projects that reflect local priorities and increase community ownership.
Additionally, empowering MMDAs to engage private sector partners directly would enhance efficiency, innovation, and value for money, ensuring that projects are more impactful and sustainable. Mr Lartey reiterated that decentralisation could drive significant progress by speeding up development and fostering more relevant local projects.
Source: Graphic