Community-based management of small town water systems in North-western Ghana: performance and institutional analysis

The state-led provision and management of potable water in rural and small towns has been decentralised with the ultimate aim of ensuring reliable and continuous access to water because previous institutional arrangements have failed to do so. Community-based water management (CBWM) has been a product of these policy reforms. CBWM has received support from international and donor communities, pushing many developing countries, including Ghana, to adopt the approach. It is assumed that community level actors, as compared to state-led and other non-state-led actors, are closest to the water resources and are in a better position to devise strategies to manage these resources. In fact, since its inception, studies have highlighted the challenges and successes of this approach. However, while CBWM in the rural areas has been widely researched, little is known about it in small towns, thus creating a skewed understanding of the approach. Moreover, studies on CBWM tend to focus on selected performance indicators and fail to question the institutional underpinning of such performance outcomes. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the performance-institutional linkage of small town water systems by examining (i) the pattern of interactions among the actors; (ii) the rules that guide their interactions; and (iii) the outcomes of their interactions. This study offers an institutional perspective on CBWM in four cases in North-western Ghana. Based on the institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework, different but complementary data collection methods are used to allow a holistic analysis of institutional arrangements and their performance outcomes. This study confirms that CBWM in North-western Ghana is associated with a well-thought-out institutional arrangement that has the potential to provide sustainable access to water. This study however argues that the presence of stressors, including entrenched socio-cultural ties, limited capacity and commitment, opportunistic behaviour and power asymmetries, adversely affect the functioning of the institutional arrangements. Therefore, it argues for a re-examination of the assumed simple relationship between CBWM approach and the improved performance of its water systems as well as its appropriateness in small towns as a function of the population-size of the communities it serves. This study advocates that future research on CBWM should seek to understand how the institutional arrangements affect and are affected by the performance of the water systems in small towns

SOCIAL CLASS, CONSUMPTION AND CONFLICTS: A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ON CONSUMERS IN A WEST AFRICAN CHRISTIAN CONTEXT

The relationships between alcohol consumption and conflicts has been explored in several contexts. Little research has been conducted on the subject in Burkina Faso. The purpose of this research is to deeply investigate the relationship between social class and alcohol consumption on one hand, and alcohol consumption and household conflicts on the other in Burkina Faso where alcohol consumption is on the increase. This exploratory research is focused on the constructivist epistemological posture. A qualitative method research design is used to collect data from both primary and secondary sources for analysis. Semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection. The results show that social class moderates the relationship between alcohol consumption and conflicts, and a high relationship between alcohol consumption and household conflicts. The findings imply that there should be a rigorous segmentation and religious hyper-personalisation of the alcohol beverage market in order to meet the local Christian consumers’ core needs and real expectations.   To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is an exploratory research in the West African Christianity context that shows the relationship between different social classes and alcohol consumption and conflicts.  Keywords: Social class, Alcohol Consumption, Household Conflicts, Ouagadougo

Institutional bricolage in community-based water management: Some insights from non-representational theory

Drawing on non-representational theory, using as an example the work of Gilles Deleuze, we offer a complementary perspective on critical institutionalism. We examine four case studies of community-based water management in the Upper West Region of Ghana, which has empowered communities and encouraged democratically accountable approaches, while also underpinning discriminatory practices. We find this can be attributed to institutional bricolage, but we argue that non-representational theory also provides an alternative orientation to our data. It allows the agency of disempowered individuals to be recast as acts of hope

Water at the Centre of Poverty Reduction: Targeting Women as a Stepping Stone in the Nadowli District, Ghana

Poverty reduction has been a challenge in developing countries, pushing many development partners to devise strategies to tackle it. One of such strategies is the provision of water services. Although there has been much focus on water provision, the practice and benefits of integrating multiple-use water services in the design and implementation have been underexplored. This paper argues for the role of multiple-use water services in reducing rural poverty, especially among women. This is based on a case study that was conducted in two communities in the Upper West Region where multipleuse water services have been provided. Data was collected using focus groups discussion mainly with water user associations who are made up of women only, survey of 26 households, and physical observations of the water infrastructure and activities around the infrastructure. We found that access to water services saved time in water collection and contributed to increase household productive hours. Consequently, this resulted in increased output in their economic activities with positive ripple effects on other sectors of the rural economy, leading to poverty reduction as indicated by the participants. It is argued that investing in multiple-use water services is a major way of empowering women to actively engage in multiple streams of income and thus a great potential for achieving the sustainable development goals.Keywords: Multiple-use Water Services, Household Livelihood, Rural Women, Poverty, Ghan

Linking Academia and Community: Evidence from Student-Community Engagement in Ghana

Academic institutions have come under criticism for not living up to their research  expectations. In response, the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Ghana  runs a student-community engagement programme termed the Third Trimester Field  Practical Programme (TTFPP), where students stay in and research with rural  communities on development issues as part of their academic work. This paper  analyses communities and students’ assessment of the TTFPP in relation to its core objectives. Data were obtained from 35 communities and 315 students during the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 TTFPP sessions in the Upper West Region, using key informant interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation. The study established that the TTFPP is beneficial to communities and students and has the potential of being an effective vehicle for academia-community linkage. However, the preliminary field preparation prior to the student-community engagement was unsatisfactory and a weakness on the engagement. Nonetheless, communities are willing to host and work with students. Therefore, this paper argues that while this student-community engagement is justified, more needs to be done to ensure effective and efficient academia-community linkage. There is more to academia-community engagement than sending students out to field. This paper calls for a re-examination of the structure and content of the TTFPP.Keywords: Community-based Research, Student-Community Engagement, Third Trimester Field Practical Program, University for Development Studies, Ghan

Water, sanitation and rural livelihoods nexus: an exploratory study of Wogu in the Upper West Region of Ghana

Improving access to safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene are on the frontline of efforts to combat related diseases and their accompanying effects. Using a household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interviews, the authors explored how rural livelihoods could be improved through water and sanitation interventions. The study revealed a complex web of configuration between water and sanitation interventions and rural livelihoods. The study found that the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure does not guarantee reductions in related diseases and improvements in livelihoods. Although rural dwellers are aware of the consequences of poor sanitary and hygiene conditions, related diseases and the implications on livelihoods, their persistent demonstration of poor sanitary and hygiene behaviours attributable to intertwined historical and socio-economic factors, adversely affect interventions. Thus, the organisation and management of water and sanitation interventions, require an integrated attention to behaviour change mechanisms.Keywords: Water-related Diseases, Access to Water, Hygiene, Livelihoods, Sanitatio

Empowering women for sustainable development through semi-mechanized sheabutter processing in rural North-Western Ghana

This study contributes to the on-going discourse on women's empowerment for achieving the African Union's (AU) Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We draw on Batliwala's three interrelated approaches to women's empowerment to analyze the extent to which the implementation of a semi-mechanized sheabutter processing project in two rural districts in the Upper West Region of Ghana addresses women's practical needs and strategic interests. Although several studies on women's empowerment through similar project interventions have been undertaken the findings are skewed towards women's practical needs, while limited knowledge is provided on the important question of whether these interventions address women's strategic interests and raise their consciousness necessary for achieving their empowerment-related goals and targets of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs respectively. A qualitative approach was used in the data collection and analysis. It was found out that the project intervention has the potential of reducing poverty and vulnerability in the semi-arid region of the country where the raw material for processing sheabutter is available in large quantities. We further found that this intervention can help improve unequal gender relations and empower women. However, the achievement of these objectives is possible if the implementation of is anchored on a framework that promotes strategic gender interests; including issues of status relative to men, improved decision-making capacity of women at the household and community levels, and equitable access to productive resources. We conclude that, any meaningful progress towards genuine women's empowerment advocated in the AU's Agenda 2063 and the SDGs would require that the current structural issues in the study setting, which remain untouched by instrumentalist interventions such as this, be given critical attention