Local governance participation and migration status: a tale of two ‘cities’ in Accra, Ghana

Cynthia Addoquaye Tagoe, University of Ghana

The involvement of citizens in governance processes, particularly at the local level has been globally acknowledged to be crucial for development to such an extent as to be considered a condition for survival. However, participation is low among community members especially in the urban area. Against the background that differences have also been found to exist in the behaviour of indigenes and migrants with respect to their political participation, this paper seeks to examine the extent to which one’s migration status is an exclusionary factor to participation in the urban setting of Accra and what motivates their involvement. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, this paper draws on sampled residents in predominantly indigenous and predominantly migrant communities in Urban Accra. The findings have implications for urban development and citizens’ wellbeing especially with the provision of improved social services to the growing populations in communities in Urban Accra.