BY ABUBAKARR BUNDU

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Over the years, several projects have been initiated and implemented with the intention of bringing development to rural communities. Most of these projects are not able to achieve their intended objective of bringing development to the rural areas. It can therefore be assumed that these projects lack something that needs to fuel the development. According to the World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD) (2006), the key to success in development initiatives is to start with the participatory analysis of the needs of local institutions and stakeholders, taking into account local culture and values, and promoting a concerted action for the development.

Participatory communication is an approach based on dialogue, which allows the sharing of information, perceptions and opinions among the various stakeholders and thereby facilitates their empowerment. It is not just the exchange of information and experiences: it is also the exploration and generation of new knowledge aimed at addressing situations that need to be improved. Participatory communication tends to be associated with community-driven development, but it could be used at any level of decision making (local, national, international) regardless of the diversity of groups involved.

By actively engaging stakeholders from the start and by seeking a broader consensus around development initiatives, participatory communication has begun to be considered a crucial tool. This is partly because many conflicts and obstacles can be prevented if addressed quickly. Genuine participation also increases the sense of ownership by local stakeholders, enhancing sustainability.

Participatory analysis of needs of the beneficiaries can best be done with the help of communication. Communication and development has been viewed as closely intertwined phenomena, where one is believed to guarantee the other (Servaes, 2008).

Communication can be a vital component of initiatives that involve voluntary behaviour and change thus communication becomes important in playing advocacy role by listening, gathering data and informing. Again, communication can be used to persuade and train people through social mobilization and to help change behaviours by educating and managing change where people have options to change their ways of life (Servaes, 2008).

People’s participation is sine qua non for development (Mohammad, 2010), and as Masilela the deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Research of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) puts it, “if peasants do not control or share control of the processes of their own development, there can be no guarantee that it is their interest that is being served” (Ascroft and Masilela, 1994).

Modern development scholars such as Robert Chambers, have been advocating people’s inclusion in development projects as they believe the stated objectives of any project cannot be fully achieved unless people meaningfully participate in it (Mefalopulos, 2003).
The emphasis on participation in development also implies increased attention to communication, because there can be no participation without communication. Communication is central to this task in many ways; thus, it enables planners, when identifying and formulating development programmes, to consult with people (the stakeholders) in 2 order to take into account their needs, attitudes and traditional knowledge (Diouf, 1994).

Participation has been an essential component in development which if downplayed can deter the growth and sustenance of any development.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
According to Anyanwu (1999), community development depends on the effectiveness of communication as it helps in sharing of ideas and opinions and diffusion of good ideas while irrelevant ideas are thrown out. Effective communication therefore enhances participation of community members towards the achievement of the goals of the rural community development. The newer conceptions of development imply a different and, generally, a wider role for communication (Everett Rogers, 2003).

Most projects in the form of community boreholes, clinics, schools, warehouses and some farming projects initiated by some NGO’s and government in Ghana are in deplorable state. Most of these projects come in the form of aids or agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers to the target groups without really knowing whether it would be useful for the people (Dzinavatonga, 2008). Some of these boreholes have even been abandoned. This may be as a result of some measures which were not put in place to ensure the sustenance of the projects after the implementers have left. These measures among other things may include the fact that the communities were not involved wholly in the formulation and implementation of these projects to understand the need to own and sustain them.

Too many development programs, including community-driven ones, seem to overlook the aspect of communication, which is intended as the professional use of dialogic methods and tools to promote change (Mefalopulos, 2008).

Okafor (2005) when communities participate in their own projects they become empowered which in turns improve efficiency, transparency and accountability which enhances service delivery and also encourages donor’s harmonization. Again, when not involved from the beginning, stakeholders tend to be more suspicious of project activities and less prone to support them. Conversely, when communication is used to involve them in the definition of an initiative, their motivation and commitment grow stronger (Okafor, 2005).

From the above, the question then is how can participatory communication be used to complement other factors that help sustain a project to involve people in the Mile 91 community to be agents of their own development?

This study seeks to fill-in the knowledge gap by investigating the role of Participatory Communication in development within the Mile 91 community.

AIM
The aim of the research is to establish the role of Participatory Communication in development in the Mile 91 community.

OBJECTIVES

• To find out the impact of Participatory communication in the realization of sustainable development in the Mile 91 community.
• To determine participatory communication strategies that will be adopted in enhancing sustainable development.
• To determine the effectiveness of the strategies adopted by development communication experts in enhancing development in the Mile 91 community.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The study sought to answer the following research questions:

• What is the impact of Participatory communication in realization of sustainable development in the Mile 91 community?
• What are the Participatory communication strategies adopted by communication experts in enhancing sustainable development.
• How effective are the strategies adopted by development communication experts in enhancing development in Mile 91 community?

SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Communication is more than transmitting information. It entails advocacy, social mobilization and behaviour change. Mefalopulos, (2008) stated that it is about generating new knowledge and consensus in order to facilitate change. Communication is not only about raising awareness, informing, persuading, or changing behavior. It is also about listening, exploring, understanding, empowering, and building consensus for change.

The study sought to find out and document the role of participatory communication in enhancing sustainable development by taking a case study of the Mile 91 community.

The study’s scope therefore rested in establishing how participatory communication influences sustainable development. This was related to the Participatory communication strategies adopted by development their effort to enhance sustainable development.

The geographical scope of the study lied within the Mile 91 community.

HYPOTHESIS/PROPOSITION
The hypothesis of the study is therefore “Participatory communication is an effective tool in sustainable development.”

POPULTION OF THE STUDY
The population of the study will be taken from Residents of the Mile 91 community and the population will be drawn from a total of five Hundred (500) of which the sample population will be two hundred (250).

METHODOLOGY
This study will collect data through the Triangulation methodology (combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis)

METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
The research methods for the study will be survey Questionnaire and interview

THEORETICAL FRAME WORK
This study will also review concepts and will adopt theories such as; Agenda setting theory,
Theory, the Hypodermic Needle Theory, and the modernization theory.
This study will provide a conclusion and proffer recommendations for further research.