Improving Accountability of Chiefs in Land Administration in Ghana: A Case Study of Stool Land Administration Reforms in the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional State

Abstract

Scholars have noted that cultural ideas and power imbalances weaken accountability of chiefs in stool lands administration in Ghana. For this reason, the Land Administration Project (LAP) was initiated in 2001 with its main objective of ensuring transparency and accountability in stool land administration through the creation of Customary Land Secretariat (CLS). This study evaluated the extent to which the CLS has improved accountability of chiefs in stool land administration in the Akyem Abuakwa traditional state in Ghana, using the rational choice institutional theory to explain the nature and effectiveness of the CLS. In terms of methodology, the research used an interpretive philosophical approach to pursue a qualitative case study. In-depth interviews, a focus group discussion (FGD) and direct observations were used to collect data from chiefs and other actors involved in stool land administration for analysis. The findings of the research suggest that ideas and interests of actors are very important for the success of every institutional reform. The idea and power relations of chiefs influenced their ability to undermine the effectiveness of the CLS in ensuring their accountability to the local communities. The study concluded that the CLS created at Akyem Abuakwa State has not been an effective organization for improving the accountability of chiefs in stool land administration due to lack of ideological and political support from chiefs and the ‘subjects’ of chiefs. The study recommends that institutional reformers should look beyond the economic interests of stakeholders to take seriously the ideas and power relations of actors that actually enable or obstruct the goals of institutional reforms.