Abstract
Membership participation has become a veritable strategy for empowerment in the development scene. The participation of community members in development activities enhances capacity building. Sustainable development has to do with participatory development, human development and environmental protection. This study examines participation of community members and sustainability of government-driven rural development projects in Abia State of Nigeria. The purposive sampling technique was adopted in the study. The sample comprised of 6 communities from 6 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state. The focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were the instruments for data collection. The sample size used in the study was 72 FGD participants and 6 IDI respondents. Data generated for the study were analyzed in quotes. The study revealed that all the rural communities under study have benefitted from government projects. It also shows that the executed projects have impacted on the quality of lives of the people. Furthermore, the study revealed that membership participation in the execution of projects is low and this has implications in project sustainability.
Highlights
This paper explores issues underlying the sustainability of government-driven rural development projects and argues that if rural development projects are to be sustained, we must, among other things:– advocate for the inclusion of the community members in decision-making processes;– advocate for membership participation in all spheres of the project in the development process;– focus more on embarking on projects that address the felt needs of the benefiting communities;– adopt an effective monitoring of projects from inception to completion.One of the major challenges of developing countries such as Nigeria is how to improve the quality of life of the citizens
This study examines participation of community members and sustainability of government-driven rural development projects in Abia State of Nigeria
Does the government embark upon rural development projects? Emerging from the focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) data, it is evident that there exist government-driven rural development projects in the communities under study
Summary
Rural development emphasizes the development of the moral, social, political and economic potentialities of rural communities to enhance their economic self-reliance through the provision of appropriate infrastructures such as pipe borne water, electricity supply, good roads, small scale industries, medical facilities, increase in political consciousness and participation and promotion of their moral and social wellbeing (Ezeani and Atodo, 2010). It is all about positive change and overall transformation of the rural environment
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