Former Minister of Local Government and Decentralisation, Kwamena Ahwoi, has warned that poorly implemented decentralisation policies could threaten Ghana’s national unity and encourage separatist tendencies.
Speaking at a sensitisation and policy orientation workshop organised by the Inter Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation on 19 May 2026, Professor Ahwoi said decentralisation must be handled carefully to avoid creating divisions that could destabilise the country.
The workshop formed part of efforts to build awareness around Ghana’s new National Decentralisation Policy and Strategic Framework for 2026 to 2030, with media practitioners and governance stakeholders participating in discussions on local administration reforms.
Ahwoi warns against separatist tendencies
Professor Ahwoi, who serves as Chairman of the IMCC Technical Committee, explained that Ghana’s decentralisation system was intentionally designed to keep regional authorities relatively weak in order to preserve national cohesion.
“In decentralising, you must be aware that there are separatist tendencies. It is very easy to move from decentralisation to separation, to federalism, to balkanisation, to secession, and to the breakdown of the country,” he stated.
According to him, Ghana, like many African countries, emerged from colonial arrangements rather than long standing national unity among all ethnic groups and kingdoms.
He described the country as an “artificial colonial construct” and argued that historical kingdoms such as Ashanti had the capacity to dominate large parts of present day Ghana before British colonial intervention.
“It is most likely that Ashanti would have conquered the rest of Ghana. They had, because the British just stopped them,” he said.
Comparisons with Nigeria, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union
Professor Ahwoi cited historical examples including the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, both of which eventually disintegrated after deepening internal divisions and separatist pressures.
He also referenced Nigeria’s civil war following the attempted secession of Biafra under Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in the late 1960s.
According to him, Nigeria’s experience demonstrated how strong regional identities, combined with political leadership and struggles over resources, could create instability and violent conflict.
The former minister stressed that Ghana’s decentralisation agenda should focus on improving governance and local development without creating structures that could encourage fragmentation.
“We don’t want Ghana to break up”
Professor Ahwoi said some traditional kingdoms within Ghana could potentially function independently if political systems were designed in ways that encouraged division.
“I have explained to you that Ashanti could easily be a country. The Dagomba Kingdom could easily be a country. We don’t want to fashion out a governance system that will give an excuse for Ghana to break up,” he stated.
He, however, commended what he described as the wisdom of Ghana’s leaders over the years, particularly within the Ashanti Kingdom, saying they had not pursued separatist agendas despite the country’s ethnic diversity.
The comments come at a time when discussions around governance reforms, local participation and decentralisation continue to shape Ghana’s political and administrative landscape.
Analysts say the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy will be closely watched, especially regarding how power and resources are distributed between central government and local authorities.
