Ghana's effort to improve the standard of living of her citizenry has necessitated the promulgation of several policies and programmes, and the establishment of institutions to that effect. One of the most significant of them is the decentralisation programme, which is aimed at countering the widespread failure of centralised economic planning, to take account of local aspirations and to deliver appropriate local services. It was a move to a more democratic state, with much higher level of local representation, participation, choice and accountability which lend support for good governance and poverty reduction. The decentralisation programme offers a uniform structure and processes for all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies but there would be different outcomes and outputs due to how each local authority implements the programme. Using the case of the Tema Metropolis, this study examines how governance and poverty reduction have been enhanced through decentralisation, with the view to informing future strategies.
