Imposed Mindset Effects? Community Participation in Master Planning and Implementation Processes in Sub Saharan Africa —A Review

Abstract

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN MASTER PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA (SSA) HAS BEEN GIVEN LITTLE ATTENTION DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT INCREASES A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP AND THE CHANCES OF PLANS IMPLEMENTATION. THIS STUDY FIRSTLY, EXAMINES COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PRACTICES IN MASTER PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES IN FOUR SHIFTED CAPITAL CITIES OF ABUJA, DODOMA, GABORONE AND LILONGWE AND SECONDLY, RECOMMENDS FOR POLICY CHANGES. THIS STUDY GATHERED INFORMATION THROUGH LITERATURE REVIEW WHEREBY A TOTAL OF ONE HUNDRED AND TWO (N=102) DOCUMENTS WERE REVIEWED. DATA WAS ANALYSED USING CONTENT ANALYSIS BY IDENTIFYING THE COMMON THEMES FROM EMPIRICAL AND THEORETICAL LITERATURES THEN COMPARING AND SYNTHESISING THEM BASED ON CONVERGENCE DISCOURSES. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT BUREAUCRATS’ PAY LESS ATTENTION TO INTEGRATION OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE COUPLED WITH OVERLOOKING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL ASPECTS OF COMMUNITIES IN MASTER PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES. BUREAUCRATS ARE REPORTED TO EMBRACE WESTERN PLANNING CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES PAIRED WITH INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION, LACK OF TRANSPARENCY, AWARENESS, AN INCLUSIVE IDEAS GENERATION, TOP-DOWN DECISION MAKING AND POWER IMBALANCE. THE SIDELINING ATTITUDE OF COMMUNITY NEEDS AND PREFERENCES HAS RESULTED INTO POLARISATION OF CITIES INTO HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS. THIS STUDY RECOMMENDS ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETIES ORGANISATIONS (CSOS) IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES TO ACT AS WATCHDOGS OF PLANNING SYSTEMS. THIS STUDY FURTHER STRESSES ON CONDUCTING ROUTINE CAPACITY BUILDING TO BUREAUCRATS TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CONSTANT REVISIT OF AVAILABLE LEGAL TOOLS, MONITORING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORKS TO EFFECT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION STAGES. THESE FINDINGS ARE WORTHWHILE TO POLICYMAKERS, URBAN PLANNERS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO PREPARE PLANS WHICH ARE COMMUNITY CENTERED AND ENHANCE INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SSA.