Development Priorities of Local and Traditional Government Leaders in Ghana

Exploring Implications of Convergences and Divergences for Local Community Development

Datos Bibliográficos

ID22010521
AutoresAndrews Jack Dotsey (University of Ghana), Olivia Adwoa Tiwaah Frimpong Kwapong (0000-0002-7988-5782, University of Ghana), Olivia Kwapong, David Addae (0000-0001-9479-6991, University of Ghana), Issahaka Fuseini (0000-0001-6473-7392, University of Ghana)
Año2024
Volumen14
Número12
Páginas807-826
Fecha de publicación2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAdvances in Applied Sociology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2165-4328 • E-ISSN: 2165-4336
EditorialScientific Research Publishing, Inc. (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4236/aasoci.2024.1412052
OpenAlexW4405825905
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas29

Development of local communities in Ghana is led by local governance leaders and traditional authorities. The development priorities of local and traditional governance leaders play a crucial role in shaping local community development outcomes. This reflects the fact that community development is achieved through the collective management and allocation of group resources. We investigate the development priorities of local and traditional government leaders to inform context-specific strategies for improving local leadership for the advancement of local communities. The study uses cross-sectional survey to gather data from 370 participants consisting of 132 respondents from Kumasi, 108 from Tamale and 130 from Accra. The research finds the topmost development priorities of traditional government leaders are educational facilities (94.6%), health facilities (49.4%), security (49.4%), road infrastructure (48.8%) and sanitation and waste management (45.2%). On the other hand, local government leaders identify infrastructure (57.2%), educational facilities (50.5%), electricity and street lighting (49.5%), and security (42.1%) as their topmost priority areas for development. Why are these amenities still an essential need of the community? The research believes the divergence in the weight of development priority as presented by the two governance institutions affects the collaborative effort that is needed to drive the advancement of the local community. We thereby call for a synchronisation of development objectives that blends differing interests to arrive at a collective agenda that can speed up growth and development in the community. The fact that there is some level of alignment in development priorities gives room for dialogue and the possibility of creating that synergy of ideas and skills for growth

Community development · Economic growth · Economics · Local community · Local Development · Local economic development · Local government · Political science · Regional science · Sociology · Law · Local Government Finance and Decentralization · Microfinance and Financial Inclusion · Public Administration · Urban and Rural Development Challenges