Community participation and infrastructure development : a case study of Akure City, Nigeria

Abstract

Infrastructure development is the bedrock of any economy and it is an important factor for the improvement of wellbeing and quality of life. Many nations are struggling with meeting the increasing demands for infrastructure while local communities are devising different approaches to meeting supply. However, the focus of the Nigerian government is more towards the development of the urban and rural areas while the suburban areas are often neglected. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of community participation on infrastructure development in Akure, Nigeria. The study was carried out to understand how community participation contributed to adequacy of infrastructure development in the suburban areas of a medium size city, and was carried out in five suburban communities within Akure city, Nigeria. Using a range of qualitative methods, the study examined the role of government in the provision of road and water infrastructure in the selected suburban communities. It also examined the participation of the local residents and contribution of community self-help projects to adequacy of infrastructure development in these communities. The study established that a multi-organisation and sectorial approach was adopted for the planning for road and water infrastructure development in Akure city withe more emphasis placed on provision of infrastructure in the urban and rural areas. There are overlapping responsibilities as regulatory institutions are also the major providers of road and water infrastructure in Akure suburban area. The study further revealed the preference of top-down approach to infrastructure development as only few agencies make use of bottom-up approach while there is no collaboration between the state-based and local-based agencies and neither with the regulating agencies. Lastly the study showed that community self-help projects contributed to the adequacy of road and water infrastructure. Community participation contributed more to availability, accessibility and affordability of road and water infrastructure while the qualities remain poor and not improved. Water infrastructure was more on individual basis while road projects are through collective actions.