Abstract:
Traditional authorities and their indigenous knowledge systems are
indispensable for local level and national development. Yet, decision-making at
the local government level has not involved traditional authorities in all decision making
process. The aim of the study was to explore how the integration of
traditional authorities and local government actors in the West Gonja District of
Northern Region of Ghana can lead to enhanced decision-making. The study used
a mixed methods approach to collect data from 384 respondents. A simple
random sampling technique was used to sample the communities and household
head respondents, while a purposive sampling technique was used to sample local
government actors and traditional authorities. A questionnaire, key informant
interview guide and a focus group discussion checklist were used to collect field
data. The findings show that majority (90 percent) of respondents strongly agree
the integration of traditional authorities into the decision-making process of the
district assembly and sub-district structures in order to increase information
delivery and enhance community support for project sustainability. However, 94
percent of respondents said that there is lack of a consistent policy regarding the
representation of traditional authorities in local government structures.
Considering that there is inequity in local government decision-making, there is
the need for a policy that provides a fair playing field for traditional authorities to
play active roles in decision-making processes at the district assembly and sub district
structures.
