Untrained personnel as local government managers, surviving strategies and impact on service delivery in Africa in the early years of independence: A historical appraisal of the state of affairs in West Cameroon.

Abstract

The development of most African countries has been stifled by the lack of adequate human resources which have remained important ingredients in the advancement of communities. The study, using the example of West Cameroon, argues that it was because of the premature departure of European technocrats from the continent and inability of post-colonial governments to invest expediently in human resources that the situation degenerated. As a result of these, local governments had to use none experts and untrained personnel in the management of its affairs and this resulted in poor performance and service delivery. Though some efforts were made by the government in turning the tights, the condition still remained precarious. The study concludes that through the exposition of the pitfalls inherent in the use of untrained personnel in these institutions, policymakers may be encouraged to invest in human resources in their urge for development.