The Master’s programme in Local Economic Development (LED) is a two year programme comprising: 12 months for course work and six months for research. The programme was established out of a recognized need for a graduate program in which both aspiring and practising economic development professionals could pursue advanced education focused on their field of activity. Ghana’s development agenda is be led by District Assemblies at the local level. Therefore, the programme focuses on local government practitioners in local/regional economic development. Its balance between the theory and the practice of local economic development, it also affords beginners the opportunity to specialise in its broad ranges. The applied dimension of the programme is emphasized in the core seminars by interacting with economic development professionals on a weekly basis and internship.

The LED programme includes a broad range of local development issues including:

• Entrepreneurship
• Globalization
• Strategic economic planning
• Environmental impact assessment and sustainability

Rationale

The role of government in the modern economic system has long been recognized, but the role of decentralized government in fostering growth and development has been questioned. According to regional economists, as far as the allocation of resources is concerned, the benefits of decentralized government are usually unquestioned. Notwithstanding these arguments, researchers dealing with regional economies support the involvement of local government in promoting economic development. They cite market malfunction to justify local economic development policy. This provides the basis for the programme in local economic development. The programme will focus on dealing with local issues within the context of the national macro economic framework. This consideration is based on the assumption that local economists have more and better information to recommend policies to local governments for implementation.

The persistence of problems of slow economic growth and widespread poverty, combined with the changes in the national and international economic environment, and the continuous failure of central government policies to impact positively at the local level have provided a strong urge towards more locally based initiatives . The rationale of this programme therefore, is to build the capacity of students in order to be able to diagnose local economic problems and come out with appropriate strategies and policies which will improve the economic future and the quality of life for local people.

Local Economic development strategies present a number of potential social and economic benefits to Ghana. First of all, they combine an economic and social dimension that is frequently hard to identify in traditional development strategies. Secondly, it seeks to join together the objectives of generating sustainable growth and addressing the needs of the poor in the territories in which it operates. In addition, the fact that local economic development strategies are mainly developed at the local level- means that these strategies can help empower local societies through the use of local resources.