The Politics of Service Delivery in Local Governance Units in Ghana: A Comparative Study of Waste Management And Building Permit in The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA)

ABSTRACT      

The delivery of waste management and building permit has engaged the attention of governments, development partners and citizens because of its deleterious consequences on public health, the environment and socio-economic development. Several frameworks and regulations including the Local Governance Act, 936 (2016), Environmental Sanitation Policy (1999), National Building Regulations, LI 1630 (1996), and the Town and Country Planning Ordinance of 1945 (Cap 84) have been implemented to safeguard the environment and the development of physical structures in Ghana. In addition to these regulations, there also exist formal environmental sector agencies and planning institutions like the Lands Commission, District Assemblies, Town and Country Planning Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Hydrological Service Department and the Ghana Health Service. Nevertheless, the low level of human and financial resources and the lack of accountability mechanisms have dominated their functions, structure and operations. As a contribution to the literature on political economy and service delivery, this study examines the politics inherent in public service delivery in the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) using data obtained from policymakers, service providers and clients/citizens through semi-structured interviews. Specifically, the study examines how accountability in the AMA has been strengthened by the delivery of waste management and building permit services. Due to the qualitative nature of the study, the purposive and convenience non-probability sampling methods were largely adopted in the selection of respondents. The study found that accountability in the delivery of waste management is weaker than building permit in the AMA. This can be attributed to several factors: including, the poor attitudes of iii citizens, financial constraints, political interference, land title insecurity, statutory violations and non-conforming land issues. This situation has undermined the efforts of actors at strengthening accountability in services delivery in the AMA. Accordingly, service delivery is characterized by delays and failures. Some of the policy recommendations include an expansion in infrastructure at the AMA; increase in funding to AMA; recruitment and training of staff; embarking on advocacy and sensitization campaigns; introduction of building consultancy firms in the building permit acquisition stream; participatory planning approaches; and enforcement of laws and regulations.