The District Assemblies and Self-Help Development In The Gomoa District Of The Central Region

Abstract

The objective of the study was to look at self-help development in relation to the role that has been played by the District Assembly in that direction. Seven research questions and three hypotheses were studied. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-Square (X2) statistic were used to analyse the data. The study took into consideration the independent and dependent variables of interest in this study. The study found out that one way of empowering the people to engage in self-help development was access to information. The majority of the respondents (91.4%) got information from the Assembly through the Assembly Members. It was also realised that the Assembly Members had helped their people in several ways towards achieving self-help development. Some however, indicated that they lobbied at the Assembly before they got development projects to their electoral areas from the District Assembly. The District Assembly has helped the various communities with infrastructural facilities but the help favoured the urban areas more than the rural communities. In addition, while some communities have realised the need to participate in self-help development, others did not participate because of non-transparency and misconceptions about community development activities. They thought that community development was the responsibility of the government. The hypothesis that non-participation in community based development projects by the people of the communities has contributed to increasing level of poverty among the people in the district was supported by the findings of the study. In allocating resources, respondents were of the view that the District Assembly has to make the people get the necessary requirements for their self-help projects. The study also found out that holistic approach to policy implementation and poor timing have affected development activities. Thus, financial assistance to the people was either delayed or that the ·conditions attached to such assistance were not favourable to the recipients. Above all these, the people suffered from ineffective mobilisation of resources. Patronage has crippled communities that received help from individuals making the people dependent on the goodwill of the patrons. The hypothesis. that low level of commitment on the part, of the leaders has contributed to the slow pace of development activities in the district was not supported. Respondents revealed that though the local leaders were committed towards development, they had at the same time distanced themselves from the communities and the people. The loca institutions for development had not collaborated effectively to rekindle self-help activities. This was due to the fact that the Area Councils and Unit Committees were virtually non-existing. The hypothesis that lack of collaboration and coordination between the Gomoa District Assembly and the Area/Unit Committees has contributed to the inability' of the district to mobilise resources in the district for development was supported by the findings of the study.