Environmental Governance and Socio-Economic Sustainability Development: The Role of Collaborative and Participatory Decision-Making

• In Event: Community-based and Practitioner Approaches to the Environment

Abstract

Sustainable environmental governance has been a critical challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. This is attributed to issues including over-reliance on natural resource extraction for export, deforestation, illegal small-scale mining, poaching, and poor waste/water quality management. These practices threaten economic, social, health, and eco-services in local communities, which negatively affect livelihoods and well-being. This study aims to examine how collaborative-participatory environmental governance can promote socio-economic sustainability development. The work used a descriptive-explanatory mixed-methods approach, with Ghana as the primary case study and 30 participants, including policymakers, bureaucrats, NGOs, and community leaders directly involved in environmental decision-making selected through purposive sampling. It contributes to understanding the interactions between environmental governance processes, equitable decision-making, execution, and socio-economic sustainability outcomes. The findings seek to inform stakeholders on strategies to enhance sustainability through more inclusive, collaborative governance approaches. This fills significant gaps in the literature on environmental governance and sustainability in the sub-Saharan African region. 

Author

• Lawland Larweh Kubi, Boise State University
  Presenting Author