As Ghana intensifies efforts to strengthen local implementation of its national development agenda, the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and other United Nations partners, have concluded a four-day engagement aimed at accelerating the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strengthening infrastructure governance at the sub-national level.

The engagement, which ended on Friday, 30th January 2026, in Sekondi-Takoradi, focused on equipping Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) with practical tools, systems, and institutional arrangements to translate global development commitments into measurable local outcomes. Key areas of discussion included strengthening coherence between Ghana’s Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) and Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), improving the use of data for planning and accountability, and enhancing the capacity of local governments to manage, operate, and maintain public infrastructure assets.

Reflecting on the engagement, Mr. Jürgen Gafke, Senior Programme Management Officer at UN DESA, commended participants for their active engagement in the practical sessions on infrastructure asset management and SDG localisation. He highlighted the strong linkages between infrastructure asset management, VLRs, quality-of-life measurement, and SDG Cities approaches, noting their alignment with the core functions of local governments and their relevance to the majority of SDG indicators.

Mr. Gabriele Ubaldo Palermo, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Italy, highlighted Italy’s partnership with Ghana in advancing SDG localisation, noting that the engagement is part of a broader Italian-funded programme to strengthen government capacity. He underscored the role of local governments in SDG delivery and expressed confidence that the collaboration would lead to improved service delivery and more sustainable cities.

Speaking from Ghana’s perspective, Mr. Phillip Acheampong of NDPC reaffirmed the country’s commitment to strengthening institutional and governance capacities as a foundation for achieving the SDGs and advancing Agenda 2063.

He commended development partners, particularly the Government of Italy, UN-Habitat, and UN DESA, for their technical and financial support and reaffirmed NDPC’s commitment to continued collaboration and follow-through actions to support MMDAs in effectively delivering on their development mandate.