The Ministry of Local Government’s decision to centralise the procurement of metal-framed school desks has sparked serious concerns across the country. Many see the directive as unfair, unnecessary, and damaging to the very communities the MMDAs are meant to support. Instead of allowing districts and municipalities to work with local welders and fabricators, the Ministry has handed the contract to a few selected companies outside these areas. This move goes against the spirit of decentralisation and leaves local businesses struggling for survival.
Across Ghana, small workshops and artisans pay taxes, levies, and business permit fees to their MMDAs. They form the backbone of local economies. Yet, when opportunities arise that could help them grow and stay in business, they are bypassed. It is difficult for these workshops to keep their doors open when the government contracts they depend on are given to outsiders. The Assemblies rely on revenue from these same businesses, but the businesses cannot continue paying taxes if they have no work.
The centralised procurement decision also ignores a simple truth: every district in Ghana has skilled welders and metal fabricators who can produce high-quality school furniture. There is no region, town, or village where such talent is missing. Local artisans have supplied schools for years. They have the tools, the expertise, and the capacity. What they lack is support from the Ministry that should be championing local economic development.
The impact of this decision goes far beyond lost contracts. When local workshops lose business, apprentices are laid off. Young people are thrown back into unemployment. Some drift into illegal mining, gambling, or petty crime out of frustration and desperation. Many artisans already struggle to survive. Removing local procurement opportunities will only worsen the crisis and deepen the challenges facing the youth.
The Ministry must rethink this policy. MMDAs should be allowed to engage their own local suppliers through competitive bidding. This is how local economies grow. This is how artisans stay in business. And this is how Assemblies strengthen their internally generated funds. Centralising such a basic procurement process weakens the Assemblies and deprives communities of jobs they badly need.
The government must do right by the people whose sweat keeps local economies running. There is no reason to deny local welders and fabricators the chance to produce furniture for their own schools. The Ministry of Local Government should immediately halt this unfair practice and support local businesses to thrive.
Ania Asaaba
Nov 18, 2025 11:30 amGood call. The local business must not be neglected