[01] Seth Peter Frimpong, Department of Social Studies Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. [02] Richard Abankwa Agyepong, Centre for African Studies, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.

The study investigated Ghana’s decentralization policy and its influence on community participation in development planning in the Amansie West District of Ashanti, Ghana. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study and guided by the random sampling technique, 72 respondents from six (6) community-based groups were selected to constitute the first group of respondents. In addition, purposive sampling was employed to select three (3) assembly officials and five (5) assembly members for the study. In all, eighty (80) respondents participated in the study. Questionnaire and interview guide were the main instruments for data collection. The study established that a large proportion of the respondents knew that they should participate in the assembly’s development planning but they did not consider it necessary to do so because the assembly officials are paid to engage in the planning of the district. The assembly officials also knew that they must follow the NDPC’s guidelines in preparing their development plans but they did not follow them because they considered the guidelines too cumbersome and expensive to follow. Rather, they resorted to field reports and requests from community members to draw up their plans. The study recommended that the National Commission on Civic Education must strengthen awareness among community members about their role in development planning. In addition, it is recommended that the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) must not approve the plans of any assembly that does not follow the NDPC guidelines in preparing its plans.

Decentralization Policy, Community Participation, Development Planning

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