Abstract:
The study aims at examining community participation issues with regards to
Ghana’s solid waste management policy making process at the local governance
level in Cape Coast Metropolis. The mixed method and embedded design were
used for this study. Convenience sampling and purposive sampling were used
for the study to obtain a total of 217 respondents. Questionnaires were used for
data collection from assembly members and unit-committee members and the
other respondents were interviewed. Statistical tools such as means, standard
deviations, percentages and frequencies were used to analyse the data. The
results indicate that community members do not take part in decision making
regarding solid waste management in Ghana. Members of the communities are
only presented with policies on sanitation and laws to comply with without
being engaged on how the policies are drawn. The results also indicate that
socio-political, trust, community awareness and inclusiveness are factors that
drive or facilitate the participation in the solid waste management policy making
process at the local governance level. The study found that politicization, lack
of awareness of programme and lack of inclusiveness in the policy-making
process are the major obstacles that hinder community participation. It was thus
recommended that the management of the assembly should maintain credibility
in the implementation of the various measures to enhance community
participation in the solid waste management policy-making process. The study
also recommends that the Metropolitan assembly should take the sensitization
and education of the general public seriously.
