New Trends in Rural Community Development in Africa: The Case of Cameroon’s Grassfield Rural Development Project | Chapter 03 | Emerging Issues and Development in Economics and Trade Vol. 1
This chapter examines a new trend in
rural community development practice using the Cameroon Grassfield Rural
Development Project, to highlight the outcomes and challenges of participatory
development in an African context. There is an on-going debate about the future
of the rural sector in developing countries, centred on implementation of
participatory projects to alleviate poverty and deteriorating rural living
conditions. Using data from project documents and evaluations, participant
observation and interviews with key stakeholders, this paper examines project
outcomes achieved in the priority communities that underwent the new policy
implemented between 2004 and 2010. The project provides a new approach to
engage the state and local government stakeholders in strategic decisions on
long-term rural development. Achievements are evident in community
infrastructure (classrooms, community halls, feeder roads, improved water
schemes, slaughter slabs, rural radio), and also in social capital and enhanced
leadership. However, challenges remain in the implementation of participatory
projects; and dependence on external sources of funding community projects
persist, due to hash economic constraints and long-term neglect in providing
rural areas with quality services. Changes in rural areas are increasingly
challenging government to undertake policy adjustments and develop a dual role
of service delivery and support for community capacity.
Author(s) Details
Fonteh Athanasius Amungwa
Department of Sociology and
Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, University of Buea,
Republic of Cameroon.
View Volume: https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/eidet/v1
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