Integrating Traditional Authorities and Local Government Actors for Decision-making in the West Gonja District

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.