Distributed leadership in Ghana

Six major categories of local leaders can be identified in Ghana.They are:

1. the political leadership including members of parliament, assemblies and substructures
2. the administrative leadership consisting mainly of heads of district-level departments
3. the traditional leadership including chiefs, other authorities and traditional religious leaders
4. the leadership of organised religion and faith-based organisations
5. the leadership of local private sector, economic and occupational groupings, and
6. representatives of communities on district service committees and leaders of project management committees.

These categories of leaders are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

The political leadership would consist of the mayor or chief executive of the assembly and the assembly members. Seventy per cent of the members are selected by adult suffrage to represent electoral areas.The remaining 30% are appointed by the government, in consultation with various interest groups to enhance certain types of expertise in assembly decision-making. Members of parliament (MPs) who represent constituencies in the national legislature are non-voting members of assemblies. Other political actors with less direct or discernable influence at the local level are the constituency representatives of the major political parties. Because by law, the assembly is non-partisan, political parties are limited in the overt exercise of influence, though the MPs are partisan.

Traditional authorities are those selected to lead various communities and ethnic groups based on historical, religious and socio-cultural factors. Arrangements vary from traditional theocracies as amongst the Gas to federations as practiced by the Ashantis.There are also different degrees of influence and hierarchies amongst traditional rulers ranging from clan heads to paramount chiefs.There are gender differences with some groups having queens and queen-mothers of royal rank but unequal to their male counterparts.There are different methods of succession – matrilineal as well as patrilineal – ascension to skins and stools.Traditional authorities commonly hold public resources (particularly land and other natural resources) in trust for their people and are expected represent their interests in negotiations as well as ensure equitable access for indigenes to these resources. They have critical capacities with implications for local governance such as community mobilisation, access to resources, influencing and exacting accountability.

As Christianity, Islam and other ‘foreign’ religions win converts, their leadership and faith-based organisations within localities wield considerable influence. Following the efforts of civil society in development and welfare initiatives, faithbased organisations have come to play a critical role in local level development.

Given the high proportion of informal sector operations, formal private sector groupings are mostly absent, with the National Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Association of Ghana Industries present only at the regional level. Therefore, the leadership of local businesses and local economic and occupational groupings are influential.The leadership of local transport unions, market commodity associations and service providers have been influential in fostering local level development by assisting in revenue mobilisation, civic awareness-raising and management of public services.

The last category of leaders, representatives of communities on district service committees and leaders of project management committees, are distinct from the political leadership in that they represent formalised efforts at promoting participation. Interest group representatives such as women and various religious groups is required by law on district oversight and management committees in the education and health sectors. Other initiatives in water and sanitation management bodies and district health insurance have quotas. Projects initiated under various programmes by international development agencies such as ActionAid have established community management committees.

Source: Ofei-Aboagye 2006

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