Participation in Development Practice: A Poisonous Gift or Magic Bullet? A Case from Ahwiaa Wood Carving Industry, Ghana

Abstract

Ghana's decentralised planning and administrative system encourages the involvement of communities and ordinary citizens in the planning and implementation of development projects which affect them. However, in line with some of the criticisms leveled against participation, the practical aspect of the system has been compromised in many situations. Based on a case study of a wood craft village project at Ahwiaa, a tourism destination in the Ashanti region in Ghana, this paper attests that, despite the apparent challenges and criticisms on the viability and usefulness of participation, the concept is very pertinent to development practice. Using qualitative methodology, data was gathered from about 45 informants intermittently within a period of 3 years. Although the project has been almost complete since 2008, it has remained unused. Discussions with the various stakeholders revealed that, the current state of the project is primarily due to the poor participatory methods adopted in the planning and implementation of the project. The intended final users and local leaders are therefore hesitant to use the facility due to anticipated conflicts in distributing the facility among the artisans and traders in the carving industry. It is therefore suggested that, participation should practically remain a core principle in development initiatives. However, it should be operationally defined and critically assessed in order to minimize its adverse influence on development processes and projects.

Keywords: Development, Decentralisation, Participation, Wood carving, Tourism, Ghana