PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE FOR LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA

CONFERENCE ON PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE FOR LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA

DATE: MARCH 20, 2025

VENUE: ILGS AUDITORIUM, ACCRA GHANA

Introduction

The Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) and the International Institute of Social

Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University, Rotterdam (The Netherlands) are jointly organizing

a conference “Participatory Governance for Local Public Service Delivery and Urban Development in Ghana” on March 20, 2025 in Accra, Ghana. This event marks the culmination of the project "Bottom-up practices and resilient strategies in Informal settlements: New paths for (re)vitalizing cities," funded by the Vital Cities and Citizens (VCC) program of Erasmus University, Rotterdam.

The conference serves as a platform to disseminate the findings of research initiatives that explored how residents of informal settlements transform and revitalize their spatial,

social, economic, and institutional environments. The meeting will also further the collaboration between ILGS and ISS on local governance, public administration and service delivery.

The one-day conference is expected to bring together 60 participants, including researchers, academics, practitioners, experts, and policymakers from various institutions. By creating a dynamic and inclusive platform, the organizers hope to encourage collaboration and advancements in various academic and professional fields on participatory governance for local development in Ghana.

This conference aligns with the VCC program's strategic activities by focusing on participatory governance and its role in local public service delivery and urban 2 development. It contributes to the ongoing dialogue on creating more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities, which is a key objective of the VCC initiative.

Conference Theme

The provision of local public services such as sanitation, water, drainage, healthcare, basic education, transportation, streetlights and public safety directly impacts the quality

of life of residents in areas where the services are delivered. It also attracts private investment to these localities, promotes local economy and income growth, encourages people to settle in towns and cities, and facilitates improvement of the urban environment, leading to a more developed urban landscape. However, ensuring equitable access to these local public services across localities especially in urban areas is not guaranteed unless the governance process for the provision of these local services is inclusive, participatory and resilient.

Participatory governance embodies the whole idea of empowering citizens and putting them at the centre of governance, public service delivery and development. The theory and practice of participatory governance claim to contribute towards building responsive, effective, efficient and accountable government, better public policies, and improved public service delivery. To a large extent, participatory governance has gained attention as one of the most effective means of addressing ‘democracy deficits’ in the world but what evidence is there to show that indeed it has improved local public services delivery in Ghana? Who participates in the governance of local public services and under what conditions and context do they participate? How satisfied are participants with the governance process and outcome?

Ghana’s decentralization and local governance policy provides a viable institutional framework for the promotion of participatory governance for accelerated urban development. For over three decades, since the return to multi-party democracy, residents have participated in formal and informal processes that have resulted in the mobilisation of resources, provision and maintenance of basic services, and accountability in the use of public resources in districts, municipalities and metropolises.

Contrary to prevailing literature suggesting that the poor have little capacity (resources, time, power and skills) to participate in the governance of their settlements, and ultimately influence public service delivery outcomes, in many slums, informal settlements, and low-income urban areas in Ghana, there is evidence that participatory governance takes place. However, it is unclear in what form and shape does participatory governance take place? How has it improved the lives of the residents in these settlements?

The conference on “Participatory Governance for Local Public Service Delivery and Urban Development in Ghana” provides a platform for researchers, scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and activists working on these topics to engage in constructive dialogues and exchanges of ideas using their research, policy and practice evidence from urban settlements in Ghana.

3 Structure and Organisation of the Conference

The one-day conference is structured around two panel presentations and discussions in

the plenary session. The first panel consists of three speakers while the second panel consists of four speakers. There will be a keynote address by a senior policymaker at the beginning of the conference and a closing remark by another senior policy maker who will reflect on the various presentations and discussions, and draw implications for Ghana’s urban policy.

About ILGS and ISS

The ILGS, soon to be known as, the University of Local Governance and Development (ULGD) is a specialized public degree-awarding, research and professional training institution with a mandate to provide higher education and professional training for people in local governance and development. Conceived in 1999 as a project under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to build the capacity for sub-national development, the ILGS was established in 2003 by an Act of Parliament and has evolved into a comprehensive institution dedicated to advancing local governance through education, training, research, consultancy, and advisory services. In 2008, the ILGS received accreditation to mount academic programmes under the tutelage of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and by 2024 it was offering 9 Master’s Degree Programmes:

• MSc Public Financial Management

• MPhil/MSc Local Economic Development

• MPhil/MSc Environmental Science, Policy & Management

• MPhil/MSc. Public Sector Management

• MSc. Local Government Administration

• MSc. Urban Governance & Management

• MSc. Development Management

• MSc. Water & Sanitation Governance

• MSc. Procurement & Contract Management

The transformational journey from a project of the Ministry to the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), and ultimately to the University of Local Governance & Development (ULGD), represents a remarkable evolution in the landscape of local governance education and capacity building in Ghana.

 

 

4 ILGS ISS

The Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University is an international graduate school of policy-oriented critical social science. Established in 1952 as the International Institute of Social Studies by Dutch universities and the Netherlands Ministry of Education, it conducts research, teaching and public service in the field of development studies and international cooperation. ISS offers a four-year PhD programme and an accredited 15.5-month MA in Development Studies with various specializations for participants from over 100 countries.

The Vital Cities and Citizens initiative of the Erasmus University Rotterdam (the Netherlands) seeks to enhance the quality of life in urban areas through scientific research, knowledge sharing, and networking.

The ILGS/ULGD and ISS are currently working towards developing a joint PhD programme in Development Studies in Ghana and the Netherlands

5 PROGRAMME

Time Activity Responsibility

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Arrival of Participants/Registration Bernice Kyei, ILGS

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Opening Prayer

Introduction of Participants

Moderator: Mr. David Osei-Wusu, Registrar ILGS

9:30 AM -10:00 AM Welcome Address Prof. Nicholas Awortwi Director, ILGS

Statement Prof. Georgina Gomez, ISS

10.00 - 10.15 AM Guest speaker: Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, Ag Director General, National Development Planning Commission

Panel One

10:15 AM -10:30 AM

Making Cities Resilient in Ghana: the realities of Slum Dwellers that confront the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.

Prof. Ronald Adamtey, Deputy Director, ILGS

10:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Slum Dwellers' Participation in the Governance of Slum within the Ashaiman Municipality of Ghana.

Dr. Erika Mamley Osae, UPSA

10:45 AM - 11:00 AM

Inclusive Slum Upgrading: Contending with Socio-Political Fault Lines in Participatory Slum Upgrading – The GARID Case Study

Dr. Ohene Sarfoh, PSS Urbania

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Discussions Moderator

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM Snack Break ILGS

Panel Two

12:30 PM -12:45 PM

Public Service Delivery in Informal

Settlements: When Communities

Organize.

Dr. Salomey Afrifa, ISS

12:45 PM -1:00 PM

Residents Assessment of the quality of Local Public Services: The Rural-Urban split?

Mr. Felix Agyei Amakye, ILGS

1:00 PM -1:15 PM Building Collaborative and Inclusive Urban Models for City Transformation.

Mr. Farouk Braimah, People Dialogue

1:15 PM - 1:30 PM

Participatory Governance of Election Security in Urban Communities in Ghana.

Dr. Sulley Ibrahim, ILGS

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Discussions Moderator

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM Closing remarks: Implications to Ghana’s Urban Policy

Mr. Samuel Passah, MLGCRA

2:45 PM - 3:30 PM Lunch Break ILGS

3:30 PM Departure ILGS