Community Participation in Provision of Education and Health Infrastructure and Services in Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti region, Ghana.

Abstract

The research investigated into local participation in operations and activities of district assemblies in providing education and healthcare infrastructure and services in Bekwai municipal, Ghana. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. In addition to the literature review, Questionnaires were administered to three hundred and ninety-three households (393) and fifty (50) Assembly Members whilst face-to-face interviews were conducted with five selected officials from the assembly which represented the primary data. Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. From the analysis of results, it was observed that though there was a high level of Assembly Members’ involvement in the provision of education and healthcare services, community members were not consulted on project identification and implementation in the municipality. Also, it was revealed that the only way community members contributed to the provision of education and health infrastructure and service was through communal labour. The study found that there was limited involvement of traditional authorities in providing basic infrastructure in the municipality as they were mostly called upon to release land for project development and also to grace organized community durbars.

To ensure improvement in local participation in the provision of basic education and health infrastructure and services, the study recommends: the assembly should enforce guidelines or policy mandates to ensure the local authorities seek the approval of the people at the grassroots (unit committee) or the end beneficiaries before any infrastructure is provided them thus the unit committee chairperson or the traditional authorities should endorse any development project identified for implementation in their communities; the assembly must organize regular community fora through the Assembly Members and the unit committee members to brief the local people on the activities of the Assembly and central government policies and programmes; the assembly should strengthen capacities of the unit committees and the zonal councils in terms of training and logistics for effective local participation in decision-making, planning, implementation, management and monitoring of infrastructure.