Relationship between Government Policies and Participation of Rural Dwellers in Community Development Programmes in Boki, Nigeria

Abstract

Rural participation in community affairs is a necessary prerequisite for community development. This study was carried out to determine the effects of government policy on participation of rural dwellers in community development programmes in Boki local government area of Cross River State, Nigeria. One hundred and sixty (160) respondents were randomly selected for the study in which a four point likert type questionnaire was designed for data collection. The major agent of change in the rural communities were the indigenous people since they may have the necessary knowledge, skills and willingness to drive any development projects in their community. We found that most of the community development initiatives of the various governments failed to achieve set goals because they lacked community participation. This is because most of these initiatives were designed from outside the communities without their participation. Thus, such initiatives are either abandoned half way or never executed at all. We recommend that government should initiate rural development projects based on community needs to enhance their participation, from planning to implementation.

Keywords: government policies, participation, community development, poverty reduction, adult literacy.