Participatory communication in the provision of development services in the Ghanaian decentralised government system: evidence from the Central Region

Abstract

This paper explores citizens’ views regarding the application of participatory communication in the delivery of development services within the decentralised government system of Ghana. The participatory theory informed the core issues of this study. Data were obtained from 309 inhabitants selected from three administrative areas in the Central Region using the quota sampling technique. Questionnaires and researcher-administered survey were used to gather data and analysed using means, standard deviations, Kruskal Wallis test, independent samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The study revealed that issues of empowerment were moderately applied in development services. Again, people-centred approaches to the delivery of development services were lowly considered. Overall, participatory communication principles have not received adequate attention during the delivery of development services. The situation was the same across the three-tier decentralised government system. Despite their educational differences, respondents expressed similar opinions on the application of participatory development principles. Participatory communication faced challenges like the absence of well-trained development communicators, inadequate resources, low motivation on the part of local representatives, a low sense of ownership, and an absence of clear institutional policies on communication. The paper outlines key practical implications of the findings, including the need for governments to set up the necessary institutional framework to aid the incorporation of participatory communication techniques into the development strategies of Assemblies.