Fighting Urban Poverty in Ghana: the Role of Non-governmental Organizations

被引:0
作者
Forkuor D. [1 ]
Agyemang S. [1 ]
机构
[1] Department of Geography and Rural Development, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Private Mail Bag, Kumasi
关键词
Beneficiaries; NGOs; Poverty intervention programs; Urban poverty;
D O I
10.1007/s12132-018-9331-x
中图分类号
学科分类号
摘要
The study examined the activities of urban non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in fighting poverty in Kumasi, Ghana. Specifically, the study sought answers to three key questions relating to the role of NGOs in urban poverty reduction. Four NGOs in the city of Kumasi were selected for study. A sample size of 105 respondents drawn from beneficiaries of the NGOs, officers of the NGOs, and the local government was used. The research adopted the cross-sectional study design and the mixed method approach in the collection, processing, and analysis of the data. Results from the study showed that urban NGOs provide social intervention and livelihood empowerment programs to the extremely poor who were mostly migrants to the city. Women and the youth were the main beneficiaries of the poverty reduction programs of the NGOs. However, the efforts of the NGOs in reducing poverty were found to be of short term rather than long term. Three reasons accounted for this—firstly, targeted beneficiaries were not involved in the choice, design, and implementation of the poverty reduction programs. Secondly, the NGOs were faced with endogenous challenges that limited the extent of their impact in touching the lives of the poor. Finally, there was a weak collaboration between the NGOs and the government in the fight against poverty. Recommendations were made to enhance the activities of the NGOs in their endeavors. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature.
引用
收藏
页码:127 / 145
页数:18
相关论文
共 53 条
[1]  
Adarkwa K.K., The role of Kumasi in National Development—Kumasi as central place, Future of the Tree: Towards Growth and Development of Kumasi, (2011)
[2]  
Adjei P.O.W., Agyemang S., Afriyie K., Non-governmental organizations and rural poverty reduction in northern Ghana: perspectives of beneficiaries on strategies, impact and challenges, Journal of Poverty Alleviation and International Development, 3, 2, pp. 47-73, (2012)
[3]  
Afrane S., Filipovitch A., Mapping the non-profit sector in Ghana, Cass Journal of Art and Humanities, 2, 1, pp. 32-51, (2012)
[4]  
Alikhan F., Kyei P.K., Mawdsley E., Porter G., Raju S., Townsend J., Varma R., NGOs and the state in the 21st century Ghana and India, (2007)
[5]  
Anzorena J., Bolnick J., Boonyabancha S., Cabannes Y., Hardoy A., Hasan A., Levy C., Mitlin D., Murphy D., Patel S., Saborido M., Satterthwaite D., Stein A., Reducing urban poverty: some lessons from experience, Environment and Urbanization, 10, 1, pp. 167-186, (1998)
[6]  
Asad L.A., Kay T., Theorizing the relationship between NGOs and the state in medical humanitarian projects, Social Science and Medicine, (2014)
[7]  
Awumbila M., Owusu G., Teye K.J., Can rural-urban migration into slums reduce poverty?, Evidence from Ghana, (2014)
[8]  
Badu Y.A., Parker A., The role of non-governmental organizations in rural development: the case of the Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana, Journal of Social Development in Africa, 9, 1, pp. 27-39, (1994)
[9]  
Batti C.R., Challenges facing local NGOs in resource mobilization, Humanities and Social Sciences, 2, 3, pp. 57-64, (2014)
[10]  
Beall J., Guha-Khasnobis B., Kanbur R., Beyond the tipping point: a multidisciplinary perspective on urbanization and development, Urbanization and development: a multidisciplinary perspective, (2010)