Problems facing local leadership in community development programs in Ghana: An exploratory study

Abstract

Local leadership is crucial in the development of communities because it determines not only the direction of development efforts of its people but also ensures the success or otherwise of communities. Local leadership should be supported in various ways to facilitate the effective development and implementation of projects and programs in local communities. Visionary and effective leadership has contributed to the successful implementation of local projects and programs, including the construction of new school buildings, health centers, community centers and markets in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality during the 1990s and early 2000s. Yet many local leaderships today seem not to be successful in the implementation of projects and programs in the municipality due to perceived problems that confront local leadership in their developmental drive. This exploratory study employs storytelling and narrative approaches to present the results sought, essentially to ascertain the problems that hinder local leadership from successfully implementing community development (CD) projects and programs in the municipality. The study used six-item research questions and interviewed three (3) local community leaders. The results that emerged were thoroughly discussed, and conclusions were drawn. Recommendations were made that implore policy decision-makers to focus attention on training, educating, building capacity for local leadership development, and positioning local leaders to deploy effective leadership in improving the betterment and sustainability of local communities in Ghana.