Assessing Drivers of Infrastructure Delivery at the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana

Theophilus Adjei-Kumi,Alex Acheampong,Joshua Ayarkwa,Joe Kingsley Hackman,Dickson Osei-Asibey,Godslove Ampratwum

doi:10.4236/jss.2021.96008

Abstract

This paper aimed at assessing drivers of infrastructure delivery at the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana. The study followed the quantitative research approach. One hundred and twenty-one professionals (121) from thirty-six (36) MMDAs in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions of Ghana participated in a questionnaire survey. Mean Scores and One Sample t-test were used for the analysis of the data. The findings suggest that 10 factors listed as “effective managerial skills and proper supervision”, “political commitment of central government”, “effective communication”, “attention to developing appropriate local authority procurement system”, “proper cost budgeting”, “checking corruption”, “adequate resources for development”, “adequate technical capacity”, “elimination of political control in staff recruitment”, and “adequate funding for infrastructure delivery” are the significant drivers of infrastructure delivery at the MMDAs. This study therefore recommends the establishment of efficient legal and institutional frameworks by the government to support and enhance the required capacities of the MMDAs for effective infrastructure delivery. The findings would help to address the infrastructural needs of local communities by presenting solutions to the challenges associated with infrastructure delivery which plague the MMDAs. Knowledge gained from this study could be applied to other similar developing countries pursuing decentralization as means to ensuring infrastructure delivery at the local government level.

Highlights

Decentralised infrastructure provision has been widely acknowledged as one of the most efficient local governance reforms for faster infrastructure delivery and economic growth (Ofori, 2012; Bardhan, 2002)
The findings suggest that 10 factors listed as “effective managerial skills and proper supervision”, “political commitment of central government”, “effective communication”, “attention to developing appropriate local authority procurement system”, “proper cost budgeting”, “checking corruption”, “adequate resources for development”, “adequate technical capacity”, “elimination of political control in staff recruitment”, and “adequate funding for infrastructure delivery” are the significant drivers of infrastructure delivery at the MMDAs
Knowledge gained from this study could be applied to other similar developing countries pursuing decentralization as means to ensuring infrastructure delivery at the local government level

Summary

Introduction

Decentralised infrastructure provision has been widely acknowledged as one of the most efficient local governance reforms for faster infrastructure delivery and economic growth (Ofori, 2012; Bardhan, 2002). It has been identified as the major institutional framework responsible for the phenomenal industrial growth in most countries in South-Eastern Asia including China during the last two decades (Bardham, 2002). It is recognized that there is a very huge infrastructure gap in most developing countries in the Sub-Saharan African region which can be solved through effective implementation of decentralisation reforms. Adequacy of infrastructure helps a society to improve its citizen’s standard of living, and is a fundamental prerequisite for economic growth and development

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion