Partnership Modalities

Stephen Afranie, Kwabena Boateng, Martin Kudwo Akotey

Abstract
In Africa, traditional leaders and local government authorities have co-existed since the inception of colonial rule. Before this era, traditional leaders in their communities were tasked by tradition to settle disputes, mobilize resources, and maintain law and order, among others. However, colonial rule transformed the powers and functions of traditional leaders and, by extension, the relationship between them and government officials. The researchers examined the partnership modalities between traditional leaders and local government authorities in Ghana through a desk review approach. The paper found that the relationship between the two stakeholders concerning community development has been a mixture of conflict and cordiality. The tempestuous relationship between them has been primarily due to the relegation of traditional leaders to the background in local governance. Two partnership modalities namely the cat and ostrich approaches, have been established to manage the relationship between traditional leaders and local government authorities. While the cat approach fosters the incorporation of traditional leaders in local government through legislation, the ostrich approach acknowledges the relevance of traditional leaders. In the face of the challenges that beset local governance such as inadequate personnel and inability to mobilise resources, the paper recommends the integration of traditional leaders in local governance structures to help mitigate these challenges.

Keywords
Traditional leaders, Partnership, Modalities, Local government authorities, Local governance