Paper short abstract:

In this paper, I build up arguments about the particular ways in which the politics of local development planning and governance in Ghana shaped the outcomes of the Elmina 2015 Strategy

Paper long abstract:

Launched in 2003, the Elmina 2015 Strategy sought to use heritage tourism as a catalyst for local socio-economic development and poverty reduction in the historic city of Elmina, Ghana. The development of this strategy was led by the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipal Assembly which has overall responsibility for ensuring local economic development in Elmina. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Elmina Castle which is managed by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board was the centrepiece of this strategy. It was envisioned that by the year 2015 tourism's potential as a tool for development will be realised and the city of Elmina will be flourishing. My findings indicate that this vision has come undone due to the politics of local governance in addition to messy institutional arrangements, poor stakeholder interactions and the failure to fully embed the strategy within the wider local and regional development planning system.

In this paper, I build up arguments about the particular ways in which the politics of local development planning and governance in Ghana shaped the outcomes of the Elmina 2015 Strategy. During fieldwork research in Ghana between August-November, 2014 and July-September, 2015 I conducted 66 interviews with key tourism stakeholders at the national, district and local (Elmina) level. The interviews were transcribed and analysed in addition to extensive documentary analysis. In particular I highlight how the underlying governance and political interactions between actors and structures enabled and constrained both the planning process and outcomes of the Elmina 2015 strategy.