Decentralization for development : the concept and its application in Ghana and Tanzania

THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE CONCEPT OF DECENTRALIZATION AND APPLIES IT TO TANZANIA AND GHANA. THOSE TWO COUNTRIES ARE UNDERTAKING MAJOR EXPERIMENTS IN DECENTRALIZATION. UNDER ONE FORM OF DECENTRALIZATION, DECONCENTRATION, A CENTRAL MINISTRY DELEGATES AUTHORITY TO A REGIONALLY DISPERSED FIELD STAFF. A SECOND FORM OF DECENTRALIZATION IS DEVOLUTION, IN WHICH POWERS OF A CENTRAL MINISTRY ARE LEGALLY CONFERRED ON LOCAL AUTHORITIES. IN 1972 DECENTRALIZATION WAS BEGUN IN THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. NEW COLLECTIVE VILLAGES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED. HOWEVER, THERE IS CONSIDERABLE OPPOSITION TO THIS PROGRAM, AND YIELDS ON COLLECTIVIZED FIELDS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY LOWER THAN ON PRIVATE PLOTS. IN GHANA THE DECENTRALIZATION PROGRAM HAS JUST BEGUN. IT CALLS FOR NINE REGIONAL COUNCILS, 60 DISTRICT COUNCILS, AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEES. A.I.D. IS PROVIDING EXTENSIVE TECHNICAL AND CAPITAL ASSISTANCE BY MEANS OF THREE PROJECTS. THE FIRST, PROVIDING TRAINING AND CONSULTING SERVICES WITHIN EACH REGION, HAS JUST BEGUN. A SECOND PROJECT, CONCERNED WITH DISTRICT PLANNING AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, WILL BEGIN IN 1978. THE THIRD, CONCERNED WITH RURAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCE SUPPORT, IS PLANNED FOR FY 1979. THE SUCCESS OF THE DECENTRALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN GHANA WILL DEPEND CONSIDERABLY ON WHETHER THE EXISTING MINISTRIES ADAPT THEIR FUNDING AND OPERATIONS TO SUPPORT LINKS BETWEEN THE REGIONAL AND DISTRICT COUNCILS.