Improving local level governance in Ghana

By Elijah Osei-Yeboah, 1st year MDP student

I have spent almost a year in the MDP program. I did my international field placement first with People’s Dialogue on Human Settlement (PD). PD is a not-for-profit organization based in Accra, Ghana. PD partners with community-based groups and local governments to address development problems such as poverty, unemployment, poor housing, eviction of informal traders, etc. particularly in urban settings.

Elijah (L) and PD colleagues

During my placement, I was not limited to one specific project as I wanted to learn as much as I could. The activities I undertook included writing and developing project proposals, participating in project meetings, proofreading technical reports, helping to manage the implementation and utilization of projects, and undertaking community engagement exercises.

One of the project proposals I worked on was meant to improve local level governance in Ghana. This proposal was meant to be submitted to the US Embassy in Accra.

Since 1992, Ghana has been striving to practise a decentralized system of governance primarily to encourage local level participation in decision-making. Some gains have been made but the system is still fraught with some problems. They include the following:

• The government’s reluctance to implement the new local government act which promotes the election of local government heads and misunderstanding over the new local government act’s implementation;
• Barriers to transparency, accountability and inclusive service delivery and development management at local level; and







• Limited voice and participation of women, people with disability and the youth in local governance. 

These challenges will be surmounted by organizing policy forums and debates on inclusiveness, transparency and accountability in local governance; and civic education exercises led by experts on social accountability, as well as presenting position papers on non-partisan election of the local government heads.

This project saw improved local governance as a means to an end ― development. The government in Ghana and for almost any country is the most powerful development agency. It was hoped that improved governance will lead to transparency, accountability and inclusiveness and ultimately development.

Elijah (centre) and colleagues from PD

I am very grateful to the MDP program for the financial support I received for the field placement and my host for its immense support.