Municipal Assembly Research Articles

Public Perception on the Level of Effectiveness of Climate Change Communication Channels in Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Climate change communication remains a vital issue globally in view of the increasing concerns on the adverse impacts of climate change. Using a total of 327 Ghanaians, this research investigated public perception on the level of effectiveness of climate change communication channels in the country. Simple random and convenience sampling methods were employed to select respondents who filled a set of questionnaires. In analyzing the data, cross tabulation, means, standard deviations, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis test were employed. Though many respondents believed climate change is already harming local communities, they were dissatisfied with the existing institutional, legal and regulatory frameworks for addressing climate change impacts. Also, the respondents believed that local authorities, the media and political officeholders were not actively addressing climate change impacts. Radio, television, and social media platforms were perceived as generally effective climate change communication channels in Ghana. However, respondents were lowly satisfied with the overall level of effectiveness of climate change communication channels in the country. Significant differences existed in the views of respondents on the effectiveness of climate change communication channels used in Ghana based on gender (Z score=-2.022, P<0.5). Similarly, there were significant differences in the views of respondents on the effectiveness of climate change communication channels and their level of education (X2 =23.763, P<0.05). The Ministry of Environment, Science and Innovation should team up with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Information to develop a more comprehensive program aimed at promoting behavior and social change towards climate change adaptation and mitigation. The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies should liaise with community radios to come up with measures to promote the use of climate change communication channels based on the unique demographic characteristics and socio-cultural contexts of target audience.

Assessment of Neonatal Mortality and Associated Hospital-Related Factors in Healthcare Facilities Within Sunyani and Sunyani West Municipal Assemblies in Bono Region, Ghana.

Ghana's quest to reduce neonatal mortality, in hospital facilities and communities, continues to be a nightmare. The pursuit of achieving healthy lives and well-being for neonates as enshrined in Sustainable Development Goal three lingered in challenging hospital facilities and communities. Notwithstanding that, there have been increasing efforts in that direction. This study examines the contributing factors that hinder the fight against neonatal mortality in all hospital facilities in the Sunyani and Sunyani West Municipal Assemblies in Bono Region, Ghana. The study utilized neonatal mortality data consisting of neonatal deaths, structural facility related variables, medical human resources, types of hospital facilities and natal care. The data was collected longitudinally from 2014 to 2019. These variables were analysed using the negative binomial hurdle regression (NBH) model to determine factors that contribute to this menace at the facility level. Cause-specific deaths were obtained to determine the leading causes of neonatal deaths within health facilities in the two municipal assemblies. The study established that the leading causes of neonatal mortality in these districts are birth asphyxia (46%), premature birth (33%), neonatal sepsis (11%) and neonatal jaundice (7%). The NBH showed that neonatal mortality in hospital facilities depend on the number of incubators, monitoring equipment, hand washing facilities, CPAPb machines, radiant warmers, physiotherapy machines, midwives, paediatric doctors and paediatric nurses in the hospital facility. Early management of neonatal sepsis, birth asphyxia, premature birth and neonatal infections is required to reduce neonatal deaths. The government and all stakeholders in the health sector should provide all hospital facilities with the essential equipment and the medical human resources necessary to eradicate the menace. This will make the realization of Sustainable Development Goal three, which calls for healthy lives and well-being for all, a reality.

Navigating Taxpayers Attitude: Exploring Support for Urban Sanitation Surcharge in Kumasi.

Urban sanitation challenges persist in Ghana, prompting Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to explore innovative funding mechanisms such as surcharges to fund sanitation services. This study assesses property owners' attitudes toward the imposition of sanitation surcharge for pro-poor sanitation improvement in the Kumasi Metropolis. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 424 property owners in the Kumasi metropolis. Structured questionnaires were utilized to solicit information from respondents using multi-stage sampling techniques. Findings indicated that 36.1% of respondents were willing to pay the sanitation surcharge, while 63.9% opposed its implementation in the Metropolis. Property ownership and support for a sanitation surcharge were associated with higher odds of willingness to pay. Participants paying property rates had decreased odds of supporting the sanitation surcharge. Factors associated with pro-poor spending support included age (61-80 years) [AOR = 1.81, 95%CI = 1.60-3.82] and willingness to pay sanitation surcharge [AOR = 11.07, 95%CI = 6.63-18.49]. Protective factors against supporting pro-poor spending included residing in medium-class communities [AOR = 0.25, 95%CI = 0.08-0.81], perceiving improvement in sanitation status [AOR = 0.41, 95%CI = 0.21-0.81) and having a home toilet facility (OR = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.36-0.95). The study revealed a nuanced landscape where concerns about fund utilization, perceived tax burdens, and trust in local institutions significantly shape public sentiment. To enhance public acceptance and participation, policymakers should prioritize transparent communication to build trust and convey the effective utilization of funds from the sanitation surcharge.

Impact of strategic procurement participation and role conflict on procurement performance: a perspective of municipal and district assemblies in the Upper East Region of Ghana

Impact of strategic procurement participation and role conflict on procurement performance: a perspective of municipal and district assemblies in the Upper East Region of Ghana

Assessment of Noise Levels of Churches in the Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly in Ghana.

Different sound levels are encountered by pastors, ministers, and the whole congregation during church services, which may extend for hours, and also by people living close to these churches. This can have an adverse effect on their health. The maximum allowable noise level in worship places is 65 dB (A), according to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA). The aim of the study was to quantify the noise pollution levels of the churches in Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly (KKMA) and assess the equivalent noise levels of the churches' indoor and outdoor spaces. This investigation is being conducted due to the high number of churches and the noise emanating from these churches in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality and the possible impact on human health. Thirty churches were chosen at random for the study; on Sundays between the hours of 7.30 and 12.0 pm, sound levels in churches were measured using a portable General Class 1 Meter type DSM403SD with a data logging system. MS Excel was used to evaluate the data and determine characteristics including noise exposure levels (NEL), background noise level (L 90), severe noise level (L 10), and equivalent noise level (L eq). The indoor equivalent noise level ranges from 74.5 dB (A) to 104.1 dB (A), and the outdoor equivalent noise level ranges from 52.6 dB (A) to 85.3 dB (A). All of the noise levels found indoors of the churches were greater than the 65 dB (A) safe allowable limit, putting the congregants and residents at risk for a variety of physiological and psychological problems.

An Electronic Payment System for Revenue Collection in the Kassena Nankana Municipality

Traditionally, revenue collection in Kassena-Nankana Municipal Assembly (KNMA), as in Ghana, was manual, with some ICT systems employed recently.This study designed an E-payment system for revenue collection in the KNMA. The research focused on the development and implementation of an electronic payment system, to facilitate revenue mobilization. The study utilizes tools such as HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, MYSQL, SQL, and other resources like VS Code, and payment APIs for the development of the system as well as azure key vaut and secureauth for incription and muti-factor authentication( MFA).As part of the research, it is revealed that, there is a strong willingness among people to embrace electronic payment methods for their taxes, finding it convenient to pay via the internet from anywhere. The E- system developed during this study demonstrated the flexibility expected of an Electronic Payment System, allowing users to create and update accounts, make payments in instalment or in full in any location using their phones. The study establishes a positive impact between the electronic systems and improved revenue generation processes which support the notion that there is indeed a correlation between ICT systems and revenue generation processes, against the notion that there is no correlation.

Influence of Sociodemographic Factors and Obstetric History on Choice of Place of Delivery: A Retrospective Study Among Post-Natal Women in Ghana.

Even though Ghana has recorded an appreciable level of facility delivery compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the country still has a lot of regional and community variations in facility delivery where professional maternal health care is guaranteed. This study assessed the main factors associated with facility delivery in the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly of the Northern Region of Ghana. Using a simple random sampling method, a retrospective community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 12, 2021 to October 17, 2021, among 306 postnatal women within 15 to 49 years who had delivered within the last six months. We conducted descriptive analyses, and the Pearson chi-square test of association between the sociodemographic factors and obstetrics history with the outcome variable, choice of place of birth. Lastly, significant variables in the chi-square test were entered into adjusted multivariate logistics regression to determine their association with the place of delivery. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version-25, with statistical significance set at a p-value of 0.05. The study reported a facility delivery rate of 82%, which is slightly higher than the national target (80%). We observed that age group [AOR 2.34 (1.07-5.14)], marital status [AOR 0.31 (0.12-0.81)], ethnicity [AOR 3.78 (1.18-12.13)], and couple's occupation [AOR 24.74 (2.51-243.91)] were the significant sociodemographic factors influencing facility delivery. The number of antenatal care (ANC) attendance [AOR 8.73 (3.41 - 22.2)] and previous pregnancy complications [AOR 2.4 (1.11 - 5.7)] were the significant obstetrics factors influencing facility delivery. We found that specific sociodemographic and obstetric factors significantly influence the choice of place of delivery in the study area. To address this, the study recommends targeted interventions that focus on providing support and resources for women from different age groups, marital statuses, ethnicities, and occupational backgrounds to access facility delivery services. Additionally, improving ANC attendance and effectively managing pregnancy complications were highlighted as important measures to encourage facility-based deliveries.

Bookkeeping practices and SME performance: The intervening role of owners’ accounting skills

Aside from statutory requirements, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) hardly take into consideration reliable accounting systems. Therefore, poor and ineffective bookkeeping has contributed to the collapse of some SMEs. This paper examines the intervening role of owners' accounting skills in the relationship between bookkeeping practices and the performance of SMEs in the Ho Municipal Assembly of Ghana using a sample of 296 SMEs. In a structural equation modelling (SEM) framework, the Smart Partial Least Squares (Smart-PLS) software is employed to analyse the relationships between owners' accounting skills, bookkeeping practices, and the performance of SMEs. We find that bookkeeping practices and owners' accounting skills have significant positive effects on the performance of SMEs. Most importantly, we show the existence of a significant indirect relationship between bookkeeping practices and SME performance such that owners' accounting skills positively intervenes the relationship between bookkeeping practices and SME performance. Thus, in the presence of higher owners’ accounting skills, the relationship between bookkeeping and the performance of SMEs is strengthened further. In a typical emerging economy context, while appropriate regulatory bodies, such as the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), in the Ghanaian context, and local revenue collection authorities could put forth measures like periodic compliance audits to ensure that registered SMEs are managed by skilled personnel, fostering them to meet basic requirements for keeping records and managing their accounts to improve their performance, it is worth acknowledging that the onus lies on SME managers to recognise the relevance of good recordkeeping and account management practices to ensure sustained business performance.

Appraisal of Structural Integrity Assessment Methodology and Reports of Existing RC Building Structures in Ghana

This study reviewed eighty-three (83) structural integrity reports obtained from two (2) Metropolitan and six (6) Municipal Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana to ascertain the availability of national standard assessment methodology and reporting format for structural integrity assessment of existing building structures in Ghana, evaluate test methods and techniques used in the assessment, and ascertain justification for recommended intervention levels. A case study with a special form/instrument was designed to collect the required data from the reviewed reports in response to the study objectives. The study revealed that there are no national standards or published guidelines available for a methodology for structural integrity assessment and reporting format for existing building structures in Ghana, resulting in a wide variation in the reporting structure by experts or consultants. The most widely used test methods and techniques (and their frequency of use) were visual inspections (100%), Non-Destructive Tests by Schmidt Hammer (95%), Covermeter (40%), Dynamic Cone Penetration Test (DCPT) (48%), and Trial Pits (55%); however, equipment specifications for the test methods and techniques were generally not stated in the reports. The justification for the assessments was largely for structural adequacy and safety assessment for regularization (code compliance), repair, rehabilitation, upgrading, extension or change of use. While only 31% of the reports reviewed provided information on analysis and design calculations, most reports recommended a ‘safe structure’ irrespective of the depth/adequacy of investigation and information provided in the reports. A national standard reporting format was therefore developed and recommended for adoption in the activity of Structural Integrity Assessment and reporting for existing RC building structures in Ghana and beyond.

Gendered Analysis of Perceptions of Stakeholders in the Agricultural Sector on Gender Notions in Northern Region of Ghana

Aim: The study analyzed stakeholders in the agricultural sector perceptions of gendered notions in Northern Region of Ghana. Three Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) were purposively sampled from the 16 MMDAs in the region. Methods: The research applied the explanatory sequential mixed methods design. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit responses from 54 policymakers and implementers followed by a FGD and interviews for the 400 farmers in 12 communities. A 5-point Likert scale perception index was used to analyze the perceptions of stakeholders on gender. Results: The results revealed that cumulatively, the stakeholder’s thoughts on gender notions were widespread and culturally grounded and implied to a large extent that ownership and control over productive resources was male-dominated whiles the distribution of labor portrayed a heavier burden on women making the men more empowered at the community management level. Conclusion: The study concludes that, the stakeholders in the agricultural sector do not unanimously agree on these notions. Though the women portray some level of readiness to challenge the status quo, access to and control over resources like land and other resources challenge their efforts whiles the men, for fear of losing their access and control over the resources, protect their territories graciously. Recommendation: The study therefore recommends policymakers at the national and regional levels and implementers at the MMDAs and community levels to ensure that both women and men have access and control over resources. The study also recommends (policymakers and implementers) in the agricultural sector be more conscious of the different gender roles and its implication for both women and men in society and also conscientize both the female and male farmers on these gender roles.

Assessing the Impact of Mobile Money Interoperability on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Payments and Receipts in Ghana

Background: The study examines the influence of mobile money interoperability on the payment and receipts of small and medium-sized businesses, with case studies from the Ga Central Municipal Assembly. The findings are intended to provide insight into how mobile money interoperability has benefited SMEs, as well as the level of awareness among SMEs and the challenges they face in using the mobile money interoperability service in their daily operations, in order to make recommendations to relevant stakeholders to improve service delivery in the municipal assembly and throughout Ghana.
 Methods: The research design for the study is quantitative in nature specifically a survey design. The study established that mobile money interoperability has a positive effect on payment and receipts of SMEs in many ways.
 Results: Accessibility, efficiency, and dependability, as well as transaction prices and transaction time, are all elements that influence SMEs' decision to use mobile money interoperability, according to the report. The study also discovered that mobile money interoperability has an impact on SMEs' profitability, sales turnover, credit sales/purchase payments, and daily sales.
 Conclusions: The report recommends that SMEs improve their awareness of mobile money interoperability payment and receipt systems in order to increase usage and educate SMEs on interoperability theft, usage, and benefits in order to make it safer and more beneficial for them. Finally, the study recommended that mobile money providers make conscious efforts to strengthen the security characteristics of mobile money interoperability systems in order to prevent theft cases.

Challenges of Public Participation in Solid Waste Management at Nkanfoa Landfill Site in the Cape Coast Municipality of Ghana

Public participation in waste management is considered a sustainable approach to waste management as such it should be embraced. In municipalities of developing countries like Ghana, public outcry over the wrong location of waste dumpsites and poor public interest in waste management has called for this study to understand how public participation contributes to efficiency in solid waste management. For those living close to waste dump sites, conditions including odour and smoke pollution are believed to be avoidable when the public participates in decision making on the location of waste dump sites. This study investigated challenges facing Nkanfoa community regarding their involvement in waste management decision making. A mixed method approach was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges associated with public participation in solid waste management. The findings showed that the community members feel their concerns are not factored into the decision making process of the assembly as such a lack of trust between them and the municipal assembly. Also, there is the perception that political office holders interfere in public meetings and are not accountable to citizens hence the public apathy towards collective waste management decision making and their unwillingness to pay for waste services. The study concludes that for community participation in waste management to be effective, there should be online platforms for verification of the extent to which assemblies engage the public in collective decision making and this should be one criteria for allocating more common funds to district assemblies that perform well on this indicator.

An Analysis of Gender Mainstreaming in National Agricultural Policies and Programs in Ghana

Aim: The study examined the extent of gender integration in agricultural policies at the regional and national levels in Northern Ghana.
 Methods: Three Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) were purposively sampled from the 16 MMDAs in the region. The interview method was used to obtain information from 24 purposively selected key informants of MoFA and gender focal persons in Accra, Tamale, Savelugu, Zabzugu. Ten selected agricultural policy documents that addressed gender integration in agricultural policies were reviewed and descriptive and content analysis of the documents were conducted. The study applied a framework developed by Gumuchio and Rueda (2015) to analyze the extent of gender mainstreaming in agricultural policies and programmes.
 Results: The study found that most national-level agricultural policies and programmes on gender recognize the need for gender equality by specifying issues of concern, but fall short of highlighting the means of addressing the issues. It was also observed that most agricultural policies are moving from gender-blind policies to integrating gender in the objective or cross-cutting issues category, emphasizing an increasingly positive response in the extent of integrating gender in agricultural policies and programmes but with little or no budget provision to operationalize gender integration. 
 Conclusion: The study concludes that recent agricultural policies (2015 to 2023) are progressively shifting from gender-blind policies to integrating gender at different levels of policies and programmes. The predominance of women’s issues in gender policy documents coupled with a lack of clear gender indicators to little or no budget provision to operationalize gender integration in programs and projects.
 Recommendation: The study recommends that gender mainstreaming should move beyond women to include men to ensure gender equity. Also, policies and programmes on gender-specific issues of concern should highlight the means of addressing such issues and also ensure that gender-specific policies are accompanied by resource allocations.

Unpacking decentralization failures in promoting popular participation in the Ketu South Municipality of Ghana

Decentralization of governance across the globe, especially in sub-Saharan Africa was precipitated by the need to ensure the participation of the citizenry in the development planning and implementation at the local level. This is to ensure that local problems are identified by those affected and remedied through policies formulated through the participation of the citizenry at the local level. In line with this, subnational government authorities were created at the local level to ensure effective local government administration. Against this backdrop, this study investigated the challenges hindering the active participation of the citizenry in local governance in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region of Ghana. A qualitative research design was adopted. The study purposively selected thirty-five (35) participants in the study area for the purposes of its primary data collection through interviews. This study investigated the fact that citizens were expected to participate in local governance through community engagement forums, budgeting, and financial planning, medium-term development planning, preparation of annual action plans, and participation in district level elections. The results of the study showed that low participation of the citizenry in local government is attributable to citizens’ lack of information and education on the need for local-level participation, inadequate political structures of the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies, and inadequate resources at the local government level. To ensure and promote the active participation of the citizenry at the local level, there is the need to educate the citizenry, and ensure that there are adequate and sufficient resources at the local level.

Greywater generation and reuse among residents of low-income urban settlements in the Oforikrom Municipal Assembly, Ghana

Abstract Greywater management in Ghana has yet to receive the needed attention even though its current generation and reuse practices pose severe environmental and public health concerns, including odour nuisance, groundwater pollution, and risks from pathogens. This study examined the current greywater generation and reuse patterns among low-income urban residents in Kumasi, Ghana. Data were collected from three communities (Ayeduase, Kotei, and Twumduase) through cluster sampling, and a total of 458 questionnaires were administered to households. The average amount of greywater generated for various activities in low-income urban settlements was 53.7 l/c/d. The results showed that greywater reuse is not common among the study participants, but those who reuse it prefer laundry to kitchen and bathroom greywater. The proportion of greywater reuse was estimated at 20.1%, with 2.6, 0.9, and 17.9% of households reusing greywater from the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry, respectively. Factors that significantly influenced greywater reuse included age, the community of residence, and the type of house. The study suggests that increased education and awareness about greywater treatment, reuse, and impacts in low-income urban communities could lead to increased participation in its management.

Selection of the final solid waste disposal site in the Bolgatanga municipality of Ghana using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE)

The various components of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) such as collection, sorting, transportation, and disposal have their peculiarities and challenges. However, final disposal sites, generally referred to as landfill sites, present a complex difficulty. The aggregation of the problems of other components has consequences on the microenvironment, public health, and groundwater. Final disposal of MSW, site selection, and management presents an enormous burden for most Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly (s) in Ghana. The case of Bolgatanga Municipality is similar to many others in the Upper East region in particular and Ghana as a whole. The existing landfill site is improperly sited and poses a great danger to adjoining communities. In this work, we used the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in a G.I.S. suite and Multi-Criteria Evaluation to assess the current location and select a possible new site within the municipality. The criteria used are generally environmental and socio-economic parameters, including; distance from major roads, rivers, settlements, and the selection of an appropriate slope and soil type that suits the guidelines for the siting of a landfill. The outcome of this multi-criteria assessment is the selection of a new site far from the current disposal site indicating the inappropriate location of the current site. A combination of all weighted criteria through a model builder process produced a suitability index map for candidate landfill sites. The selected site at Sherigu is about 16 km by road from the proposed site, which is much bigger than the threshold of 500 sq. meters. The separation distance and size between the current and the proposed site are indications of how economically and environmentally inappropriate the Sherigu site is and the need for a better site that is better situated for socio-economic and environmental considerations.

Small-scale mining policies in Ghana: Miners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices

Activities and operations of Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASM) have recently appealed to the attention of policymakers, researchers, and the public in Ghana. This stems from the negative impacts of ASM operations on the environment and livelihoods of local inhabitants as well as the disregard for available ASM mining policies. This study, therefore, investigates whether artisanal small-scale miners have enough knowledge of the mining policies and their implementations or not. The study adopted the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) framework approach to design the research, collect, and analyze primary data. Likert-type scale and standardized weighted index were used to assess the level of knowledge on mining policies and the extent of good attitudes and practices adopted by miners. The most aware ASM policy provision is the one that mandates the government to reserve demarcated ASM areas for Ghanaians whilst the least aware provision is the one that admonishes the government to promote cooperative saving among ASM. The awareness index is lower than the attitude index towards the policy provisions. In terms of practices, miners continued to use bad practices with associated negative impacts on the environment and rural livelihoods. It is therefore important for the government through Mineral Commission, District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies to intensify the education on the ASM policies. These could be done with the help of ASM associations. The current systems where a cluster of districts has a single Mineral Commission office should be restructured to make sure that each mining district has an office.

Collective action and revenue generation: focus on selected Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies in Ghana

Collective action and revenue generation: focus on selected Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies in Ghana

Examining Youth Participation in Local Governance: The Case of Selected Districts in Ghana

The participation of Ghana’s youth in its democratic governance in recent times cannot be overemphasised. The youth have non-restrictive opportunities to be elected, exercise their franchise and subsequently involve in local and national development activities. The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have a stake in the development, implementation and coordination of local and national policies that inure to youth activities and development. The study examines youth participation in governance among three districts in Ghana adopting a mixed research method by combining qualitative and quantitative methods. It used survey questionnaires, focus group discussion and interview for its primary data collection. The research was conducted in three assemblies namely Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly, Awutu Senya District Assembly and Ashaiman Municipal Assembly. In all, 220 persons were targeted as respondents for the quantitative data and 24 for the qualitative data. A total of 220 questionnaires were administered out of which 140 were completed and returned by respondents while the qualitative interviews were administered to all the 24 respondents. On development activities, 70 percent of the respondents do not know of any development activities for the youth in the districts. None of the three MMDAs has a tailor-made local policy and programmes on youth development. Consequently, the youth is challenged in relating with the assembly and do not contribute to the decision making and execution of local development plans. There is no specific unit or sub-committee in any of the districts that has the responsibility of overseeing youth development. District Assemblies should develop district specific youth policies or localize national youth policies in order to meet the orientation, aspiration, culture and the world view of the youth in their localities.

Effects of customised capacity building on employee engagement, empowerment, and learning in Ghanaian local government institutions

PurposeCustomised capacity building is thought to be essential for organisations. However, empirical studies are lacking with respect to its effect on employee outcomes. This study aims to examine the effect of customised capacity building on employee outcomes including employee empowerment and employee engagement through employee learning in Ghanaian local government institutions.Design/methodology/approachValid responses from 281 employees of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana were collected through a survey. A structural equation model was used to analyse the data and test the hypotheses formulated.FindingsThe results showed that customised capacity building has an effect on employee learning, employee empowerment, and employee engagement. Employee learning also had an effect on employee empowerment and employee engagement. In addition, employee learning partially mediated the effect of customised capacity building on both employee empowerment and employee engagement.Originality/valueThis study is of particular relevance to public organisations. As there is a dearth of studies focusing on customised capacity building, this study provides insight into incorporating the phenomenon into public sector organisations to enhance employee learning, empowerment and engagement.