An Assessment of Endogenous Regional Cultural Policy and the Planning Process in the Central Region of Ghana

Abstract

Inertia of colonial development and lack of consistent investment in the post-colonial era in the Central Region of Ghana contributed heavily to the decline of its economy. Exogenous regional development efforts meant to stem this trend failed to deliver. Central Region, therefore, took  up its own to initiate an endogenous development process in the late 1980s/early 1990s, based on its cultural, historic and natural heritage assets and establishment of a separate regional development organisation. But the cultural dimension of this initiative was to receive less attention. Using the procedural planning process and primary qualitative data, the study interrogated and assessed the region’s cultural development policy and programmes, identified challenges related to participation, funding, constrained planning, ineffective internal institutional co-ordination, limited programme focus and made recommendations for ameliorating these.

Keywords: Endogenous regional development, endogenous regional policy, regional planning process, cultural development projects, Central Region Development Commission, cultural and historic and natural heritage

DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/57-03

Publication date: January 31^st 2024