THE DISTRICT ASSEMBLY COMMON FUND AND THE PROVISION OF SOCIAL AMENITIES: AN ASSESMENT OF STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTIONS IN THE SISSALA EAST DISTRICT

Abstract

Decentralization in Ghana is seen as a means of delivering development goods to people especially at the local level. The Sissala East district is still considered as one of the most deprived districts in Ghana in terms of available social amenities despite the introduction of the District assemblies' common fund with the clear intent to leverage much needed funds for the provision of social amenities. The study examines stakeholders' perception on the use of DACF in social amenities provisions; assesses the proportion of DACF used in social amenities provision and establishes the factors that hinder the smooth utilization of the fund in the District. The study adopts survey research design with a mixed methods approach. The analysis of data was done with the help of SPSS and content analysis. Findings indicate that community members and other stakeholders have similar perceptions on the meaning of social amenities. Community members' participation in the provision of social amenities is low. Some stakeholders such as the staff of the district assembly maintains that there is equity in the distribution of projects and programmes in the district, whilst other stakeholders like staff of GES and community members feel that the distribution is politically motivated and unfair. Also, the proportion of the common fund spent on social amenities provisions by the Assembly is below the approved 90%. Measures such as; creation of comprehensive database on the district, training and proper planning could be used to enhance the effective utilisation of the fund. The District Assembly should collaborate with many partners to secure more support to further enhance the promotion of education in the district, given that it tops the list of the district's spending priorities.