THE ROLE OF CITY GOVERNANCE IN REDUCING URBAN POVERTY-A CASE STUDY OF KUMASI, GHANA

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THE ROLE OF CITY GOVERNANCE IN REDUCING URBAN
POVERTY-A CASE STUDY OF KUMASI, GHANA

• Prepared by
• Dr. Kwabena Darko

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WHAT IS GOVERNANCE?

• Governance is the way in which power is exercised
  in the management of a countrys economic and
  social resources for development. For a city,
  governance is the exercise of power to manage a
  citys socio-economic development

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DOES IT MEAN GOVERNMENT?

• Governance is a broader notion than government.
• Involves governments but also civil society.

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GOVERNANCE IN THE URBAN MANAGEMENT CONTEXT

• In the urban management context, governance
  refers to all the laws, regulations, frameworks
  systems and processes that shape the way in which
  the local government operates. These frameworks,
  processes and systems may be formal or informal.

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GOOD GOVERNANCE

• From a local government perspective good
  governance means
• Involving the community in identifying their
  wants and needs .
• Developing policies and approaches to meet
  community needs with the involvement of the
  community in the process.

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GOOD GOVERNANCE (contd)

• Making sure that all levels of the government
  system understand their roles and
  responsibilities (and the community should also
  know what each level of government is responsible
  for).
• Developing effective intergovernmental
  relationships.

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GOOD GOVERNANCE (contd)

• Ensuring that the allocation of resources across
  levels of government is fair and equitable.
• Encouraging innovation management that
  contributes to successful outcomes for the
  community.

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GOOD GOVERNANCE (contd)

• Determining ethical standards of behaviour for
  those working within government (as politicians
  or administrators) and monitoring peoples
  performance to make sure they do meet those
  standards.
• A sound public private partnership
• Effective government and citizen interaction.

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KUMASI

• Kumasi is Ghanas second city.
• Has a long and proud history
• Centre of the Asante kingdom .
• Population is estimated at just over one
  million.
• Often regarded as the commercial capital of
  Ghana.
• Its Kejetia market rivals Onitsha in Nigeria as
  West Africas largest open-air market.

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POVERTY IN KUMASI

• High level of poverty in Kumasi.
• The poor in Kumasi tend to be
• Unemployed
• Unskilled labourers
• Petty traders
• Hawkers, porters, single mothers, street
  children, refugees from outside Ghana, elderly,
  and low-wage workers.

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FACTORS AFFECTING URBAN POVERTY IN KUMASI

• The structural adjustment programme and the
  economic performance of the country.
• Democratization and decentralization.
• City governance.
• Sub-metropolitan government and relationships
  with the community.

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FACTORS AFFECTING URBAN POVERTY IN KUMASI (CONTD)

• Service responsibilities and performance.
• The mobilization and use of the citys financial
  resources.
• No clear policy or strategy for poverty reduction
  and many of its policies adversely affect the
  poor.

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FACTORS AFFECTING URBAN POVERTY IN KUMASI (CONTD)

• No clear policy in relation to informal
  settlements.
• Another factor is the charging policies
• Weak civil society

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COUNTERVAILING FACTORS

• The role of traditional authorities in land
  allocation.
• Housing in the form of communal tenement blocks.

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COUNTERVAILING FACTORS (contd)

• Donor involvement.
• The tolerating of informal access and regulation
  contravention.
• Supportive ethnic networks.

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CONCLUSION

• Governance in Kumasi is partly responsible for
  the high level of poverty in Kumasi. The
  situation could have been worse if the
  counter-prevailing factors did not exist.