External stakeholders in the collaborative governance of natural resources in Ghana: Experiences from the Wa West District

Abstract

External stakeholders are very instrumental in the collaborative governance of natural resources. The study sought to examine the role of external stakeholders in the collaborative governance of natural resources in the Wa West District of Ghana. The study resorted to the mixed methods approach in data collection and analysis. The sample size of the study was determined as 95 using the Yamane (1967) formula. The study employed questionnaire administration, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions as data collection methods. Quantitative data was analyzed using a component of SPSS version 20 known as descriptive statistics and presented using tables and chats whereas qualitative data from key informants and focus groups were analyzed using content analysis and presented using quotations. The study disclosed that natural resources such as woodlots, water resources, sacred groves, a hippopotamus (hippo) sanctuary and rocks are governed by external stakeholders using strategies such as training/capacity building, laws, by-laws, policies, and participatory mechanisms (such as CREMA). The study concludes that strategies used by the external stakeholders in the governance of natural resources are effective. The study recommends that policies on natural resources governance in Ghana should encourage capacity building of local stakeholders by external stakeholders on their rights and benefit sharing in natural resources governance.

Keywords

• Collaborative
• Governance
• Natural resources
• External stakeholders
• Sustainability