ABSTRACT
The invaluable role played by community leaders in any development activity cannot be overemphasized. This is because through the participation of community leaders in development activities, community members could also be influenced to participate. The study therefore, identified the extent to which community leaders participate in development activities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district.
Related literature was reviewed on the concept of leadership, leaders and group effectiveness, community development, leaders’ participation in community development, among others. The population of the study consisted of all community leaders at Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district of the Northern Region. This included chiefs and elders, unit committee members, opinion leaders, leaders of women groups, and youth leaders. One hundred community leaders formed the sample for the study. The study used a descriptive survey design. Data was gathered from the respondents with the help of an interview schedule. The data was analysed using the SPSS software.
The following were the major results of the study:
- The leaders identified educational, constructional, sanitation, and environmental activities as community development activities that were undertaken in the district from 2007-2009.
- Majority of the community leaders participated in varying levels of planning community development activities in the district. On the contrary, majority of the community leaders did not participate in implementing, and monitoring and evaluation of community development activities in the district.
- Promotion of peace and stability in the district, provision of rewards to leaders, and availability of funds for development activities were some of things indicated by community as ways by which their participation in community development activities could be enhanced.
Some of the major findings of the study were that:
- Constructional, educational, sanitation, and environmental activities were the various categories of community development activities undertaken in the district within the past two years.
- Majority of the community leaders participate in varying levels of the planning of development activities.
- Community leaders were of the view that providing them with rewards, involving community members in development activities, promoting peace and harmony among the various groups in the district, and organizing training programmes for them, were some of the ways of enhancing their participation in development activities in the district.
The study recommended amongst others that avenues should be created for leaders to continuously participate in the planning, implementing, and monitoring and  evaluation  of  community  development activities since such the participation of leaders in those stages were crucial to the success of development activities.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The ability of a group to accomplish its set goals and to satisfy the needs of its members depends to a large extent on the few individuals who direct and coordinate the activities of the group. Effective leadership is most likely to contribute to the realization of collective group goals, whereas poor leadership has the tendency of impacting negatively on the group’s ability to achieve results. In the same manner, the ability of communities to identify and solve problems that affect them depends to a large extent on their local leaders.
The invaluable role played by leaders in any community development endeavor cannot be overemphasized. This is because, by the leaders’ active involvement in self-help projects, community members can become inspired to participate. Through their participation, they are able to provide clear directions and motivation that would boost the morale of community members. Sometimes through their involvement they are also able to secure support, both technical and financial, from institutions and agencies that are within their reach. This ultimately brings about success of such projects and since people often want to associate themselves with success, many more community members would be encouraged to participate in subsequent projects led by such leaders. Quite a number of development projects in some rural communities in Ghana have come to a standstill due to the non-participation of local leaders.
The need to achieve an appreciable level of development in rural areas in the country, has called for the introduction of programmes aimed at improving the capacities of local leaders. Leadership capacity building workshops have been held in many rural areas in the country as part of equipping local leaders with the requisite skills to effectively mobilize their members for self-help developmental purposes.
Biney (2003) asserts that Ghana’s community development programme which started in the late 1940s sought to develop community leadership and encourage citizens’ participation through education and training of the people in rural communities to undertake activities or projects to promote socio-economic advancement based on comprehensive planning. The programme, Biney argues, led to the mass-education of people especially non-literate adults and generated the self-help spirit of rural people in the construction of small-scale water systems for drinking and agriculture, rural roads, schools, health posts, and community centres. The generally acknowledged success of Ghana’s community development programme between 1951 and 1957 was perhaps due to government’s readiness to sponsor such projects.
Village and Town Committees now called Zonal Committees were established in all villages and towns in Ghana by the government of the first republic in 1963. They were charged with the responsibility of planning and coordinating all development activities in their respective communities (Biney, 2003). Campfens (1997) has observed that human development during this period was viewed primarily within the context of traditional communal forms of societal organization. Community development attempted to integrate the group or clan based
communities into the larger institutional systems of the society. A holistic approach which adopted and promoted mass education, self-help, and awareness programmes aimed at mobilizing individuals and groups. To address their own needs and problems, local communities were encouraged to identify their own needs and to participate in meeting them. Commins (1979) also notes that efforts were made to nurture local leadership and the development of communities’ capacity overtime.
A new programme was introduced in the early 1990’s as part of Ghana’s Programme of Action to Mitigate the Social Cost of Adjustment (PAMSCAD) which was aimed at developing and rehabilitating rural housing. The programme originated within the continuation schools programme, a pilot scheme developed and funded by UNICEF in 1986 (Campfens, 1997). Initially, twelve centres were established across the country which eventually expanded and consolidated and were charged with the teaching of vocational skills to school leavers so as to make them employable. These centres were later renamed the Integrated Community Centre for Employable Skills (ICCES) and gained popularity across the nation due to the low-cost housing constructed from local materials.
Programmes such as the Women’s Income Generation project and those operated by the Ghana Reconstruction Movement and the 3 P1 December Women’s Movement demonstrate the effectiveness of Non-Governmental Organisations in working with communities to enhance their entrepreneurial skills for their own development. Church organisations have also complemented the efforts of government in many community development activities. One such organisation is
the Brong Ahafo Catholic Cooperative Society for Development (BACCSD) which introduced programmes that help maize farmers analyse their production techniques, provide education for prospective members of the cooperative and extend credit (Campfens, 1997). These efforts demonstrate that people can be adequately empowered to improve their living conditions.
The Ghana government between 2001 and 2008 initiated and implemented many projects that were aimed at enhancing rural development nationwide. One such project is the Rural Enterprises Project which sought to equip rural folk with entrepreneurial skills as well as help them establish their own businesses.
However, in spite of these and many other developmental initiatives by successive governments with the view of bringing about the desired development nationwide, the Northern Region still remains one of the most deprived areas in terms of access to basic and necessary facilities and amenities. Records available indicate that out of every ten people in the Northern Region, sev en are considered poor (Abu-Bakr, 2004). This has prompted calls from the Northern Regional House of Chiefs to successive governments to divide the region into two. This they believe will speed up development in the area.
