Volumes of studies have examined Ghana's decentralization. But none has looked at the politics in the appointment of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) -the political heads of the districts in Ghana, which is not only political but partisan and perennially contentious. The objective of this paper is to fill the gap by identifying the political actors in the process of appointing MMDCEs, their interests, the tension and the elements of the political furore among them. Making MMDCEs elective in Ghana is also examined.

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This paper examines state intervention in the regional problem in Ghana using documentary case study of the Savannah Accelerated Development Programme (SADEP). The findings suggest that SADEP has been ineffective (less successful) in transforming the economy of the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone (NSEZ). This is because, first, of improper/ineffective dispensation of authority though this is not political settlement issue. Second, because of corruption and financial mismanagement and misappropriation. Lastly, because of inadequate attention to implicit polarisation policies. These imply the need for effective accountability mechanisms including active civil society and media; incentives structure that is divorced from partisan politics and integration of implicit polarisation reduction strategies into regional development programmes for distressed regions in Ghana.