Unpacking decentralization failures in promoting popular participation in the Ketu South Municipality of Ghana

Decentralization of governance across the globe, especially in sub-Saharan Africa was precipitated by the need to ensure the participation of the citizenry in the development planning and implementation at the local level. This is to ensure that local problems are identified by those affected and remedied through policies formulated through the participation of the citizenry at the local level. In line with this, subnational government authorities were created at the local level to ensure effective local government administration. Against this backdrop, this study investigated the challenges hindering the active participation of the citizenry in local governance in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region of Ghana. A qualitative research design was adopted. The study purposively selected thirty-five (35) participants in the study area for the purposes of its primary data collection through interviews. This study investigated the fact that citizens were expected to participate in local governance through community engagement forums, budgeting, and financial planning, medium-term development planning, preparation of annual action plans, and participation in district level elections. The results of the study showed that low participation of the citizenry in local government is attributable to citizens’ lack of information and education on the need for local-level participation, inadequate political structures of the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies, and inadequate resources at the local government level. To ensure and promote the active participation of the citizenry at the local level, there is the need to educate the citizenry, and ensure that there are adequate and sufficient resources at the local level.