Open AccessResourcing local government in Ghana: the potential of volunteering to deliver basic services
Author(s) -
Ronald Adamtey,
Clifford Amoako,
Benjamin Doe
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
commonwealth journal of local governance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1836-0394
DOI - 10.5130/cjlg.vi25.8040
Subject(s) - local government , government (linguistics) , business , politics , qualitative research , local community , space (punctuation) , public relations , economic growth , public administration , political science , sociology , economics , social science , philosophy , linguistics , law
Both local and foreign volunteers have been involved in community development activities in Ghana. However, there is a dearth of research on the perceived and real impacts of volunteers in delivering services, reasons for volunteering, the potential of volunteering to supplement the human and financial resources of local governments in Ghana, and the conditions required for more successful outcomes. This qualitative study examined volunteering activities across 15 communities of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) Municipality in Ghana’s Central Region. It found that volunteering empowered the people, triggered self-help initiatives and improved local people’s knowledge on health and environmental issues. However, there are challenges in finding political and social space for volunteers within the current local government system. The study recommends efforts to address that issue.