TY - JOUR
T1 - Ambiguities of forest management decentralization in ghana
AU - Teye, Joseph K.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - This article examines the outcomes of forest management decentralization in Ghana. It has been demonstrated that despite claims that Ghana has adopted forest management decentralization policy, actual forest management powers and rights over forest resources are still retained by the central government. The government is only interested in using the decentralization policy to reduce expenditure and extend its control over forest resources. Nevertheless, it has employed policy ambiguities to hide its true intentions from international donors. In order to contain international donor demands for equity in the distribution of natural resource revenue, a small stream of forest revenue is paid to a few unelected traditional rulers and district assembly officials, who are actually within the executive's patronage networks. In the absence of any meaningful reward system and secure rights over forest resources, community forestry committees are not functioning properly.
AB - This article examines the outcomes of forest management decentralization in Ghana. It has been demonstrated that despite claims that Ghana has adopted forest management decentralization policy, actual forest management powers and rights over forest resources are still retained by the central government. The government is only interested in using the decentralization policy to reduce expenditure and extend its control over forest resources. Nevertheless, it has employed policy ambiguities to hide its true intentions from international donors. In order to contain international donor demands for equity in the distribution of natural resource revenue, a small stream of forest revenue is paid to a few unelected traditional rulers and district assembly officials, who are actually within the executive's patronage networks. In the absence of any meaningful reward system and secure rights over forest resources, community forestry committees are not functioning properly.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84870510075&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/19390459.2011.620776
DO - 10.1080/19390459.2011.620776
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84870510075
SN - 1939-0459
VL - 3
SP - 355
EP - 369
JO - Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research
JF - Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research
IS - 4
ER -