Local Economic Development Initiatives in Ghana: The Challenges and the Way Forward

Abstract

This case study presents and analyses Local Economic Development (LED) initiatives and challenges from two districts in Ghana. The study is a qualitative case study that uses individual interviews through purposive selection from officials who are directly involved in the formulation and implementation of district development initiatives. The study found that the district does not have a LED policy in place but have initiated and implemented a number of programmes that are pro-LED. These programmes are in the area of agriculture, human resource development, financing and infrastructure development. However, the implementation of these initiatives has encountered many challenges such as inadequate human resource, finance, absence of LED policy and improper collaboration among local level actors. The paper provides the way forward for the initiation and implementation of LED at the local level.

The politics of actor involvement in local economic development in Ghana: Empirical evidence from the Accra Metropolitan, Keta Municipal and Shai-Osudoku District Assemblies

“…The period from 1988 where Ghana started implementing decentralization, the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution, the passage of various Acts of Parliament and national development frameworks that promoted the role of MMDAs in local development and preparation of the National LED policy and its operational Manual by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) as the period of "policy maturity" were considered. Mensah et al (2013a) similarly identify the 1992 Constitution, District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), Ghana Vision 2020, Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS 1), and Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS 2) as some legislative policies and frameworks of LED. The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), MMDAs, MLGRD, Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Services (GRATIS) projects, rural banks and traditional authorities were the institutional frameworks for LED implementation in Ghana (Mensah et al, 2013b).…”

“…Ghanaian studies on LED have focused on the factors that influenced the adoption of LED, the policy perspectives, actors and institutional frameworks, strategies, financing, the typologies of LED and the challenges (Agbevade, 2018;Mensah et al, 2013a;Mensah et al, 2013b;Mensah et al, 2017;Oduro-Ofori, 2016;Akudugu, 2013;Akudugu and Laube, 2013;Ofei-Aboagye, 2009).…”

An Assessment of the Implementation of the National Policy on Local Economic Development by District Assemblies in Ghana

“…However, efforts to effectively implement the key activities of the policy by District Assemblies so as to bring about the desired goals are largely unknown. Studies in Ghana on decentralization and LED rarely focus on the efforts made by District Assemblies to implement LED policies [6]. This creates a gap in knowledge regarding the efforts by District Assemblies at implementing LED policies.…”

“…There is an increasing recognition that the quest to achieve national development goals could only happen when the goals are translated into actions at the sub-national levels and by active involvement of local actors. This in turn has brought about renewed attention to planning for local economic development, which is output and impact oriented and linked to the national level policies and budget processes [6]. Hence the role of local governments in preparing, coordinating and implementing local development strategies cannot be overemphasized.…”

Ghana’s Path to an Industrial–Led Growth: The Role of Decentralisation Policies

“…In line with the mandate to support agro-based industries to boost export-value of crops, efforts have been made to support micro, small and medium enterprises engaged in small-scale agro processing activities (Mensah et al, 2013). Local governments have been instrumental in providing infrastructure to promote industrial activities.…”