Towards an information system for district development: a case study of Techiman District

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Date
1989-05-07
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Abstract
The initiative for the generation of development plan, programme and budget is being gradually shifted to the district level. This means that authorities responsible for development in the district have to formulate and implement their own decision rather than carry out directive from regional and national levels of government. Decisions however depend on information so the real questions involved in the devolution of responsibility and power to the district level is whether information is available. This question has assumed great importance for district authorities because they are ultimately destined to inherit from the central government, the over increasing problem of low income, unemployment and high inflation rates. Initial response to this difficult present and future situation has been the imposition of all sorts of taxes on already poor populations to finance development projects is a direct reflection of a lack of information about alternatives to taxation for revenue gone rat ion. This study therefore attempts to determine how to improve the information base so that more people can take better decisions. The problem was addressed by investigating the quantity and ua1ity of information currently available at the district level and, the factors which influence them. Organisations in the district were analysed as transmitters and receivers of information end their main problems were then identified, It was found that a considerable amount of data is currently available, However, this was riot suitable as a base for the emerging planning process at ho local level, This is because it is not accessible to the majority of decision - makers in the local government structure. And oven where it is accessible, it lacks accuracy and appropriateness to development planning. Moreover, since various organization use different systems of classification and areal units, there is a problem of delayed, if the information is sought for purpose outside the administrative functions of each organization. Finally, since the current information technology is based on manual methods of storage, processing and retrieval, the total capacity of the system to produce analyses and. syntheses for generating development plans and programmes is severely limited. The recommendations proposed. are to improve structure of the information system by establishing roles procedures and regulations to facilitate the generation, distribution and use of information among all decision - makers in the district; introducing manpower training programmes for the future use of improved information technologies at the district level; and establishing a format for the classification of information and the use of areal units to be followed by all organs responsible for collecting information
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A thesis submitted to the Board of Postgraduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Science in Development Planning and Management, 1989
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