Accra: Wednesday 29- Thursday 30 October, 2025: The Office of the Head of the Local Government Service (OHLGS) has organised a two-day technical review workshop aimed at revising the Performance Indicators under the Key Performance Areas (KPAs) for Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) for the year 2026. This exercise is part of LGS’s ongoing commitment to enhance the effectiveness of the Decentralised Local Government System in the country.
The Performance Management System (PMS) developed by LGS will systematically monitor, evaluate, and report on the performance of staff while ensuring adherence to Service Delivery Standards (SDS). The upcoming review session will engage various stakeholders, including representatives from MMDAs, to collaboratively assess and refine the performance indicators that guide local governance and service delivery.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Lord Mensah, Head of Service for the LGS, accentuated the importance of the Performance Management System (PMS) in fostering a high-performance culture among staff. He noted that the PMS, operationalised through Performance Contracts and Performance Appraisal Instruments, serves as a structured framework for enhancing both organizational and individual performance.
“The Performance Contracts signed between the Political Heads and Administrative Heads across all levels ensure alignment of Key Performance Areas (KPAs) with specific KPIs,” Prof. Mensah explained. This alignment promotes coherence and accountability, enabling all staff to work towards common national goals.
Highlighting the significance of the KPI development process, Prof. Mensah urged participants, who are key national policymakers, to leverage their expertise to ensure that the 2026 KPIs align with both international and national development targets, particularly focusing on administrative decentralization as mandated by the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).
The proposed KPIs are designed based on the SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, ensuring that every target is clear and actionable. However, Prof. Mensah stressed that effective KPIs must also possess additional characteristics, such as a direct link to high-level strategic objectives and the ability to drive desired behaviors while minimizing risk.
“It is vital that KPIs reflect factors that the individual or team can influence directly, ensuring fairness and motivation,” he stated. He also emphasized the importance of clarity in measurement units to avoid ambiguity in performance assessments.
The Chief Director of the OHLGS, Mrs. Felicia Dapaah Agyeman Boakye, in her closing remarks, outlined the next steps in the process.
“Management will conduct a thorough review of the draft Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) proposed during this session,” stated Mrs. Dapaah. “Subsequently, the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) will validate the proposed KPIs to ensure they meet our standards for effectiveness and relevance.”
Underscoring the importance of stakeholder engagement, she noted that the OHLGS will work closely with all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCES) and District Directors (MMCDs) to discuss the proposed indicators.
In addition, a signing ceremony to formalise the agreement on the finalized KPIs will be facilitated by the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) for all MMDAs, marking a significant step towards enhancing local governance and accountability.
A Principal Engineer at the OHLGS, Ing. Baah Tetteh, in a presentation, took participants through the LGS PMS framework and performance trends of the MMDAs on the various indicators over the previous years.
The technical review workshop provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss existing performance metrics, share best practices, and propose enhancements that reflect the evolving needs of MMDAs.