Reorganization of Local Government in Ghana
| Author | C. A. G. Wallis |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1959.tb01196.x |
| Published date | 01 January 1959 |
| Date | 01 January 1959 |
Reorganization
of
Local
Government
in
Ghana
by C. A. G.
WALLIS,
African
Studies
Branch,
Colonial
Office
WHAT
asuccessor
government
in a former colonial territory does
with
the
local
government
structure
which
it inherited gives
an
indication for still
dependent
territories
of
where
the
balance
is likely to be found between
the
respective policies
of
conserving
traditional
authorities
and
of accepting
the
whole of English practice.
The
characteristically African
mould
begins to be
discernible.
One
of
the
earliest acts
of
the
government
of
Ghana
was to
appoint
Mr.
A. F. Greenwood,
the
Permanent
Secretary
to
the
Ministry of Local
Government,
as Commissioner for Local
Government
Enquiries,
and
his
report, was published in
June
1957.1
The
Coussey
Committee
of
19492
had
shown apreference for
the
United
Kingdom
model
of
local
government
and
the Local
Government
Ordinance,
No. 29
of
1951,
had
provided for a two-tier system,
with
district councils
forming
the
upper
tier
and
local councils, which
might
be
urban
or rural,
forming
the
lower tier.
The
system
of
precepting
whereby
one tier requisitions
its
money
from
the
other
tier was included. By 1957 twenty-six district
and
two
hundred
and
fifty-two local councils
had
been established,
apart
from
the
lour
municipalities.
The
tier
structure
results from a
combination
or
the sensible
idea
that
local
government
units should correspond with existing local loyalties
with
the
need
for a
unit
sufficiently large to administer
major
services
which
cover awide area.
It
works in
England
because on
the
one
hand
local loyalties
are
not
intransig-
ently
narrow
and
because on
the
other
hand
the
county
councils in
the
top
tier
are
fully efficient to
administer
any
major
service
that
parliament
may
allocate to them.
Mr.
Greenwood's
report
recognizes explicitly or implicitly
that
these
are
not
the
conditions present in
Ghana
today.
The
upper
and
lower tiers
are
not
properly
integrated:
there
are
some
areas
with adistrict council
and
no local councils
and
others with local councils
but
no district council.
The
system
of
precepting
has
proved
an
altogether
too sophisticated
idea
and
has
accounted
for
much
mis-understanding
and
some
strife.
The
loyalties on which
the
lower-tier councils were based
have
in
many
cases
proved
too
narrow.
One
hundred
and
six
have
populations no
greater
than
ten
thousand
and
of
these thirty-one
have
under
five thousand.
Many
of
the
councils only survive by
virtue
of
grants:
others
have
no
hope
of
extending
their
present
range
of
very
minor
services.
Moreover
in
many
cases
the
nature
of
these loyalties is negative
and
exclusive.
The
amour-propre
of
certain
chiefs,
the
memory
of
long-past tribal quarrels,
and
latterly even
different political affiliations,
have
in
their
own
ways
operated
to
prevent
amalgamations
of
too small units.
The
dissipation
of
strength
among
so
many
councils has in
part
served to
deprive
the
district councils
of
the
resources
which
they should
have
if
they
are
1Government Printer, Accra, 3/6d.
:I See Journal
of
African
Administration,
Vol.
II,
No.1,
January
1950.
22
To continue reading
Request your trial