IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/natres/v48y2024i2p485-507.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Toward good governance in water resources management in Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Eduful

Abstract

In the global water policy literature, integrating governance principles into water resources management is projected as the best approach to overcome the crisis in water resources management. Therefore, since 1990, many countries, including Ghana, have introduced various changes in their water sector to encourage good governance in the management of the resource. Using interviews and a review of policy and regulatory documents, this study examines recent changes in the water sector in Ghana to identify challenges for good governance in water resources management. The results suggest that the introduction of a new institutional framework and several regulatory mechanisms, including policies, rules, regulations, and laws, has decentralized water management system, increased stakeholder participation, granted voice to marginalized stakeholders, and brought government and communities together in the decision‐making process. However, the results further reveal that several challenges, including institutional barriers, exclusion or underrepresentation of key stakeholders, corruption, multisectoral conflict, collaboration preferences, and others continue to frustrate good governance in water resources management. Deliberately committing to the principles of good governance, amending ineffective regulatory mechanisms, and adequately resourcing regulatory institutions can help avoid many of the challenges in the water sector and propel the country toward sustainable water resources management.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Eduful, 2024. "Toward good governance in water resources management in Ghana," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 48(2), pages 485-507, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:48:y:2024:i:2:p:485-507
    DOI: 10.1111/1477-8947.12324
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12324
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1477-8947.12324?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. A Anderson & E Karar & Stefano Farolfi, 2008. "Synthesis: IWRM lessons for implementation," Post-Print cirad-04059026, HAL.
    2. Svendsen, Mark & Wester, Philippus & Molle, Francois, 2005. "Managing river basins: an institutional perspective," IWMI Books, Reports H036301, International Water Management Institute.
    3. ., 2003. "Coordination routines: governance," Chapters, in: Economic Institutions and Complexity, chapter 5, pages 70-81, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Jess Schoeman & Catherine Allan & C. Max Finlayson, 2014. "A new paradigm for water? A comparative review of integrated, adaptive and ecosystem-based water management in the Anthropocene," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(3), pages 377-390, September.
    5. Alan Greenspan, 2002. "Corporate governance," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 3(03), pages 3-6, October.
    6. D. J. Bandaragoda, 2006. "Status of Institutional Reforms for Integrated Water Resources Management in Asia: Indications from Policy Reviews in Five Countries," IWMI Working Papers H038707, International Water Management Institute.
    7. Svendsen, Mark & Wester, Philippus & Molle, Francois, 2005. "Managing river basins: an institutional perspective," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    8. Gophen, Moshe, 2019. "Climate change and water loss in the Kinneret drainage basin," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 424-429.
    9. Lu, Shibao & Bai, Xiao & Li, Wei & Wang, Ning, 2019. "Impacts of climate change on water resources and grain production," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 76-84.
    10. ., 2003. "System patterns: dominant governmental direction," Chapters, in: Economic Institutions and Complexity, chapter 7, pages 97-118, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Clement Dorm-Adzobu & Ben Yaw Ampomah, 2014. "Legislative and institutional reforms for water resources management in Ghana," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(3), pages 559-571, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wiwandari Handayani & S. P. Dewi & Bintang Septiarani, 2023. "Toward adaptive water governance: An examination on stakeholders engagement and interactions in Semarang City, Indonesia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 1914-1943, February.
    2. Kenji Otsuka, 2022. "Co‐optation in co‐production: Maintaining credibility and legitimacy in transboundary environmental governance in East Asia," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(6), pages 771-797, November.
    3. Didier Wernli & Lucas Böttcher & Flore Vanackere & Yuliya Kaspiarovich & Maria Masood & Nicolas Levrat, 2023. "Understanding and governing global systemic crises in the 21st century: A complexity perspective," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 14(2), pages 207-228, May.
    4. Tony Kinder & Jari Stenvall & Antti Talonen, 2023. "Logics and Agency in Public Management Research," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 159-180, March.
    5. Marko Keskinen & Olli Varis, 2012. "Institutional cooperation at a basin level: For what, by whom? Lessons learned from Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 36(1), pages 50-60, February.
    6. KOUAKOU, Thiédjé Gaudens-Omer, 2025. "Volatilité et régulation des cryptomonnaies : approche monétaire orthodoxe versus approche monétaire hétérodoxe [Volatility and regulation of cryptocurrencies: orthodox monetary approach versus het," MPRA Paper 123774, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Hanna Salmenperä, 2023. "Governing the Transition to Circularity of Textiles – Finnish Companies’ Expectations of Interventions for Change," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 3(4), pages 1747-1767, December.
    8. Kinder Sebastian & Lis Kamil & Peiker Wolfdietrich & Suwala Lech, 2014. "The Challenging Task of Governing Cross-Border Investment in Peripheral Regions: Polish Investors in Northeast Germany," Quaestiones Geographicae, Sciendo, vol. 33(4), pages 27-41.
    9. D. Diakité & A. Royer & D. Rousselière & L.D. Tamini, 2022. "Formal and informal governance mechanisms of machinery cooperatives: The case of Quebec," Post-Print hal-03833870, HAL.
    10. Ulbricht, Lena & Yeung, Karen, 2022. "Algorithmic regulation: A maturing concept for investigating regulation of and through algorithms," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 16(1), pages 3-22.
    11. Krzysztof Niedziałkowski & Renata Putkowska-Smoter, 2021. "What Is the Role of the Government in Wildlife Policy? Evolutionary Governance Perspective," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(2), pages 428-438.
    12. Jacob Torfing & Christopher Ansell & Eva Sørensen, 2024. "Metagoverning the Co-Creation of Green Transitions: A Socio-Political Contingency Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-21, August.
    13. G. Moreno, Frede & Brique, John Michael, 2024. "An Analytical Assessment of Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for Green and Digital Transitions in Zamboanga City, Philippines," MPRA Paper 122663, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Molle, François & Wester, Philippus & Hirsch, Philip, 2010. "River basin closure: Processes, implications and responses," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 569-577, April.
    15. Marco Roth & Jarmo Vakkuri & Jan-Erik Johanson, 2024. "Value creation mechanisms in a social and health care innovation ecosystem – an institutional perspective," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 28(4), pages 1017-1048, December.
    16. Clement, Floriane & Suhardiman, Diana & Bharati, Luna, "undated". "IWRM Discourses, Institutional Holy Grail and Water Justice in Nepal," Papers published in Journals (Open Access) H048330, International Water Management Institute.
    17. Kuzdas, Christopher & Wiek, Arnim & Warner, Benjamin & Vignola, Raffaele & Morataya, Ricardo, 2015. "Integrated and Participatory Analysis of Water Governance Regimes: The Case of the Costa Rican Dry Tropics," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 254-268.
    18. Sumit Vij, 2023. "Polycentric disaster governance in a federalising Nepal: interplay between people, bureaucracy and political leadership," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 56(4), pages 755-776, December.
    19. Janssen, Matthijs & Wanzenböck, Iris & Fünfschilling, Lea & Pontinakis, Dimitris, 2023. "Governance arrangements for the implementation of transformative innovation policy: Insights from a comparative case study," Papers in Innovation Studies 2023/13, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    20. Su, Xiaobo, 2024. "Security, economy, and the touristification of borders," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:48:y:2024:i:2:p:485-507. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1477-8947 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.