Decentralisation and Poverty Alleviation in Rural Ghana

338 Pages·2014·15.84 MB·English

and Grace and Geoff Atkinsen for their fervent Christian love and concern, ELICOP,
London, all East Ham members for their love and prayer support. I wish to express my
heart felt thanks to Mr and Mrs Afum and Mr and Mrs Antwi-Darkwa and families in
London, for their kindness and love. Special thanks to my friends, Dr Martha and
Bruce Scolton. Thanks to all who in their concern prayed for me.
Finally, I owe much debt of gratitude to my dear wife Abigail (for her special care for
all the kids in my absence) and my beloved children. With love and appreciation of
this sacrifice by my wife and children, I dedicate this thesis to them. You have been a
source of encouragement that has made this work possible. Whatever blessings God
gives me are yours to share for all eternity.
111
Acronyms
ADB Agricultural Development Bank
ADRA Adventist Relief Agency
AFRC Armed Forces Revolutionary council
AGC Ashanti Goldfield Corporation
AWDA Adansi West District Assembly
BWDP Baptist Women's Development programme
CARE American Co-operative Agency For Relief Everywhere
CB() Community Based Organisations
CDR Committee for the Defence of the Revolution
CPP Convention People's Party
CEDEP Centre for the Development of People
CIDA Canadian International Development Agency
COWAP Community Water and Sanitation Programme
CRS Catholic Relief Services
DA District Assembly
DANIDA Danish International Development Agency
DACF District Assembly Common Fund
DCD District Co-ordinating Director
DCE District Chief Executive
DDO Diocesan Development Office
DFID Department for International Development
DS District Secretary
ERP Economic Recovery Programme
FAO Food and Agricultural Organisation
GAD Gender And Development
GAP VOD Ghana Association of Private Voluntary Organisations in
Development
ICRA International Centre for Development Oriented Research in
iv
Agriculture
ILO International Labour Organisation
IMF International Monetary Fund
JICA Japanese International Co-operation Agency
JSS Junior Secondary School
KVIP Kumasi Vented Improved Pit Latrine
NCD National Commission on Democracy
NDC National Democratic Congress
NDA Nadowli District Assembly
NDPC National Development Planning Commission
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
NLC National Liberation Council
NRC National Redemption Council
PADIC Public Administration Restructuring and Decentralisation
Implementation Committee
PNDC Provisional National Defence Council
PM Presiding Member
PPA Participatory Poverty Assessment
PP Progress Party
PRA Participatory Rural Assessment
RAO Regional Administrative Officer
RCC Regional Co-ordinating Council
SAP Structural Adjustment Programme
SMC Supreme Military Council
SOFIDEP Sombo Fian Development Programme
SSS Senior Secondary School
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UWR Upper West Region
VHC Village Housing Committee
WASHT Water and Sanitation Health Team
WDC Workers Defence Council
WVI World Vision International
List of Tables
Table 1.1 Percentage of population below the poverty line, early 1990s 4
Table 3.1 Commissions/Committees of enquiry into Local Government 46
Reform in Ghana, 1957-1982
Table 3.2 Formula for sharing the District Assemblies Common Fund 81
Table 4.1 Provision of social services in study villages 102
Table 4.2 Focus groups in the study districts 124
Table 5.1 Criteria for poverty, wealth and well-being in Adansi West 135
district
136

Table 5.2 Responses as to which group is the largest in each study village
(Adansi West district)
Table 5.3 Criteria for poverty, wealth and well-being in Nadowli district 140
Table 5.4 Voting on who is poor — women or men 144
Table 5.5 Seasonal condition in Daffiama 147
Table 5.6 Coping strategies by women and men in Daffiama (Nadowli
district 149
Table 5.7 Coping strategies for women in Akrokerri 152
Table 5.8 Matrix scoring and ranking of access to healthcare in study
villages 156
Table 5.9 Constraints to access to education in Badabuo 158,
Table 5.10 Voting on the most important social service, men and women in 161
(Part 1 & 2) Puleba
Table 5.11 Moving out of poverty — Perceived poverty alleviation strategies
in Nadowli district 163
Table 6.1 Educational levels of bureaucrats and politicians in the study 175
districts
vi
Table 6.2 Perceptions of poverty by the District Administration officials
and political leaders in Adansi West and Nadowli districts. 177
Table 6.3 Response of Assembly members and DA officials on their 185
perception of poverty alleviation strategies
Table 6.4 Information on the level of revenue from Adansi West District 186
Assembly from 1993-1997
Table 6.5 Information on the level of revenue from Nadowli District 187
Assembly for 1994,1996 and 1997
Table 6.6 Location and cost of projects undertaken in Adansi West District 188
Assembly (Local Government sector)
Table 6.7 Location and cost of projects undertaken in Nadowli District 189
Assembly (Local Government sector)
Table 6.8 Health sector - Adansi West District Assembly 190
Table 6.9 Health sector/sanitation - Nadowli District Assembly 191
Table 6.10 Education sector - Adansi West District Assembly 191
Table 6.11 Education sector - Nadowli District Assembly 192
Table 6.12 Preference (priorities) of women and men regarding
interventions for livelihood improvements 206
Table 7.1 Level of participation in the DA, Nadowli district 219
Table 7.2 Level of participation in Adansi West district 219
Table 8.1 Gender roles in Nadowli district 243
Table 8.2 NGOs and their activities with women's groups in Nadowli 246
district

Table 8.3 World Vision International credit facilities to women's groups in 247
Nadowli district

Table 8.4 Ranking of sources of income of women with activities
supported by NGOs 253

Table 8.5 Ranking of expenditure pattern of 25 women working with
NGOs 254
vii
List of Figures
Figure 3.1 1988 Local Government Structure (still current in Ghana, 1999) 71
Figure 3.2 Organisational Structure of District and Local Government 73
Machinery (Government of Ghana, 1988
Figure 4.1 District Map of Ghana 87
Figure 4.2 Map showing Nadowl District 89
Figure 4.3 Map showing Adansi West District 105
Figure 8.1 Major settlements in which NGO activity is taking place, 240
Nadowli district
viii
Table of Contents
Abstract i
Acknowledgements ii
Acronyms iv
List of Tables vi
List of Figures viii
Table of Contents ix
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Poverty issues and development strategies in the 1980s and 1990s in 1
Africa
1.3 Poverty issues and development strategies in Ghana 4
1.4 Aims and objectives of the thesis 5
1.5 The study areas 8
1.6 Structure of the thesis 8
CHAPTER 2: UNDERSTANDING POVERTY AND

DECENTRALISATION
11

2.1 Introduction 11

2.2 The Concept of Poverty 11

2.2.1 Absolute Poverty 15

2.2.2 Relative Poverty 17

2.2.3 Complex approaches to the concept of poverty 19

2.2.4 Approaches to the measurement of poverty 19

2.2.5 The participatory approach 21

2.2.5.1 Participatory Poverty Assessments (PPAs) 23

2.3 Concepts of the state and decentralisation 25

2.3.1 The concept of decentralisation 27

27
2.3.1.1 Deconcentration
ix
2.3.1.2 Delegation 28
2.3.1.3 Privatisation 30
2.3.1.4 Devolution 31
2.3.2 The administrative and political decentralisation dichotomy 32
2.3.3 The African state and decentralisation in the colonial period 34
2.3.4 The independent state and decentralisation in Africa 36
2.3.5 Decentralisation and governance 37
2.3.6 Decentralisation and development 37
2.3.7 Decentralisation and power 38
2.3.8 Decentralisation and poverty alleviation 40
2.4 Conclusion 41
CHAPTER 3: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON

DECENTRALISATION IN GHANA
43
3.1 Introduction 43
3.2 The colonial period 43
3.3 Decentralisation since independence 46
3.3.1 The NIcrumah Regime (1957-1966) 46
3.3.2 The National Liberation Council (NLC) 1966-1969 51
3.3.3 The Second Republic (1969-1972) 53
3.3.4 The 1971 Local Administration Act (Act 357) 54
3.3.5 The National Redemption Council (NRC)/Supreme 56
Military Council (SMC) 1972-78

3.3.6 The Supreme Military Council II (SMC II) 1978-1979 59

3.3.7 The Third Republic 1979-1981 60

3.3.8 A review of decentralisation to 1981 61

3.4 Decentralisation under the Provisional National Defence 62
Council (PNDC)1981-92

3.4.1 Populist mobilisation 62

3.4.2 Initial plans to decentralise 63

3.4.3 Decentralisation and the Economic Recovery Programme 1983- 66
x
1988
3.4.4 The 1988/89 District Assembly elections 67
3.4.5 Policy objectives 68
3.5 The Local Government Structure 69
3.5.1 Regional Co-ordinating Councils (RCC) 71
3.5.2 The District Assemblies (DAs) 72
3.5.3 Town/Area Councils and Unit Committees 75
3.6 Planning under the District Assemblies 76
3.7 Implementation problems 77
3.8 The Fourth Republic (1992 to date) 80
3.9 Conclusion 83
CHAPTER 4: BACKGROUND OF STUDY AREA AND

METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
86

4.1 Introduction 86

4.2 The study areas 86

4.2.1 Overview of the Upper West Region 86

4.2.2 Nadowli District 88

4.2.2.1 District administration 90

4.2.2.2 Cultural background 91

4.2.2.3 Economic background 92

4.2.2.4 Social service infrastructure 94

4.2.2.5 Rural settlements studied in Nadowli district 96

4.2.3 Overview of Ashanti Region 102

4.2.4 Adansi West District 104

4.2.4.1 District administration 106

4.2.4.2 Condition of the environment 108

4.2.4.3 Structure of the local economy 108

4.2.4.4 Social service infrastructure 109

4.2.4.5 Villages studied in Adansi West district 110

115
4.3 Methodological framework

4.3.1 Participatory Rural Appraisal 116
xi
118
4.3.2 Selection of research assistants

120
4.3.3 In-depth interviews

4.3.4 Focus group discussions 123

4.3.5 Preference ranking 125

4.3.6 Wealth ranking 126

4.3.7 Direct observation 126

4.3.8 Document review 127

4.4 Difficulties, limitations and opportunities 128
CHAPTER 5: VOICES OF THE RURAL POOR 133
5.1 Introduction 133
5.2 The concept of poverty as perceived by rural communities 134
5.3 Coping (survival) strategies 144
5.4 Access to and utilisation of social services by the poor 155
5.4.1 Health 155
5.4.2 Education 157
5.5 Gender differentiation in education 159
5.6 Water and sanitation 159
5.7 Preference for social services 160
5.8 Perceptions of poverty alleviation 162
CHAPTER 6: DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES AND POVERTY

ALLEVIATION
165

6.1 Introduction 165

6.2 Local Authorities and rural development in Ghana: 166
a historical perspective

6.3 The dependency on central government 170

6.4 District elite and their educational and social background 173

6.5 Elite perceptions of poverty 176

6.6 The Perception gap between the elites and poor 180

6.7 Poverty alleviation strategies of the District Assembly 182

185
6.7.1 Provision of development projects in the study districts
xii