1 - University–Community Relations in Ghana: Traditional Authority as a Stakeholder
Corresponding Author(s) : Edmond Akwasi Agyeman
Africa Development,
Vol. 45 No. 4 (2020): Africa Development
Abstract
This article examines the levels and forms of engagement between universities in Ghana and traditional authority. The article is based on an in-depth study of five public universities and their neighbouring communities. Stakeholder theory was used for analysis. Findings from the study indicate that there is a growing awareness among public universities in Ghana of the need to engage the traditional authority of their immediate surrounding communities to enhance university–community relations and coexistence, in order to address the socio-economic and developmental aspirations of the communities and to help achieve the institutional goals of the universities. However, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) appears to have a more comprehensive engagement model than the others.
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- Ashitey, G., 2016, ‘Kumasi mayor Kojo Bonsu resigns’, General News, 12 July edition of Graphic Online news portal. Available online at: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/kumasi mayor-kojo-bonsu-resigns.html.
- Bangura, A.K., 2019, ‘Revisiting the basics’, in A.K. Bangura, J.A. Obando, I.I. Munene and C. Shisanya, eds, Conducting research and mentoring students in Africa: CODESRIA College of Mentors handbook, Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 19–37.
- Bertrand, D. and Busugutsala, G., 1998, ‘Organisation of first-cycle teaching at university: Models and issues’, Higher Education Management, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 109–136.
- Boafo-Arthur, K., 2003, ‘Chieftaincy in Ghana: Challenges and prospects in the 21st century’, African-Asian Studies, Vol. 2, pp. 125–153.
- Campion, B.B. and Acheampong, E., 2014, ‘The chieftaincy institution in Ghana: Causers and arbitrators of conflicts in industrial jatropha investments’, Sustainability, Vol. 6, pp. 6332– 6350.
- Carroll, A. and Buchholtz, A., 2014, Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management, 9th ed., Stanford, USA: Cengage Learning.
- Freeman R.E., 1984, Strategic management: A stakeholder approach, Boston, MA: Pitman.
- Freeman, R.E., Harrison, J.S., Wicks, A.C., Parmar, B. and de Colle, S., 2010, Stakeholder theory: The state of the art, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Gyamera, E.A., Duncan, E.E., Kuma, J.S.Y. and Arko-Adjei, A., 2018, ‘Land acquisition in Ghana: Dealing with the challenges and the way forward’, Journal of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 664–672.
- Harrison, J.S., Freeman, R.E. and Sá de Abreu, M.C., 2015, ‘Stakeholder theory as an ethical approach to effective management: Applying the theory to multiple contexts’, Revista brasileira de gestão de negócios (Review of Business Management), Vol. 17, No. 55, pp. 858–869.
- Hörisch, J., Freeman, E. and Schaltegger, S., 2014, ‘Applying stakeholder theory in sustainability management: links, similarities, dissimilarities, and a conceptual framework’, Organisation & Environment, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 328–346.
- Hoyt, L., 2010. ‘A city–campus engagement theory from, and for, practice’, Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 75–88.
- Hoyt, L. and Hollister, R., 2014, ‘Moving beyond the ivory tower: The expanding global movement of engaged universities’, in B. Hall and R. Tandon, eds, Knowledge, engagement and higher education: Rethinking social responsibility, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Jeffery, N., 2009, Stakeholder engagement: A road map to meaningful engagement, The Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility, Cranfield School of Management. Available online at http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/dinamic-content/media/CR%20Stakeholder.pdf. Accessed 19 January 2018.
- Jongbloed, B., Enders, J. and Salerno. C., 2008, ‘Higher education and its communities: Interconnections, interdependencies and a research agenda’, Higher Education, Vol. 56, pp. 303 324.
- Khanyile, M., 2018, ‘Essentiality of stakeholder management for university survival’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 132-148.
- Mainardes, E.W., Alves, H. and Raposo, M., 2012, ‘A model for stakeholder classification and stakeholder relationships’, Management Decision, Vol. 50, No. 10, pp. 1861–1879.
- Mitchell, R.K., Agle, B.R. and Wood, D.J., 1997, ‘Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principles of who and what really counts’, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 853–886.
- Munene, I.I., Shisanya, C., Obando, J.A. and doctoral scholars, 2019, ‘Brief descriptions of qualitative research methods’, in A.K. Bangura, J.A. Obando, I.I. Munene and C. Shisanya, eds, Conducting research and mentoring students in Africa: CODESRIA College of Mentors handbook, Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 40–59.
- Nweke, K., 2012, ‘The role of traditional institutions of governance in managing social conflicts in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta communities: Imperatives of peace-building process in the post-amnesty era’, British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 2. Panyin, A.O., 2010, ‘Chiefs and traditional authorities and their role in the democratic order and governance’, Constitutional Review Series 9, The Institute of Economic Affairs, Accra: IEA, Ghana.
- Parent, M.M. and Deephouse, D.L., 2007, ‘A case study of stakeholder identification and prioritisation by managers’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 75, No.1, pp. 1–23.
- Pesqueux, Y. and Damak-Ayadi, S., 2005, ‘Stakeholder theory in perspective: Corporate governance’, The International Journal of Business in Society, Vol. 5,No. 2, pp. 5–21.
- Pitcher, M. G., 1976, The knot of wisdom. A chronicle of the University of Science and Technology (1951-1976), Kumasi: University of Science and Technology Publications.
- Prokopy, L.S., Carlton, J.S., Arbuckle Jr., J G., Haigh, T., Lemos, M.C., Mase, A.S., Babin, N., Dunn, M., Andresen, J., Angel, J. and Hart, C., 2015, ‘Extensions role in disseminating information about climate change to agricultural stakeholders in the United States’, Climatic Change, Vol. 130, No. 2, pp. 261–272.
- Shisanya, C., 2019, ‘Epistemological paradigms in social research’, in A.K. Bangura,J.A. Obando, I.I. Munene and C. Shisanya, eds, ‘Conducting research and mentoring students in Africa’, CODESRIA College of Mentors handbook. Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 39–58.
- Slabá, M., 2015, ‘Stakeholder groups of public and private universities in the Czech Republic: Identification, categorisation and prioritisation’, Review of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 305–326.
- Tieleman, J. and Uitermark, J., 2018, ‘Chiefs in the city: Traditional authority in the modern state’, Sociology, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 707–723.
- Ubink, J.M. 2007, Traditional authority revisited: Popular perceptions of chiefs and chieftaincy in peri-urban Kumasi, Ghana, Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, Vol. 39, No. 55, pp. 123–161.
- University of Ghana, 2017, University of Ghana handbook and regulations. Available online at https://www.ug.edu.gh/sites/default/files/aad/Handbook%20 Regulations%202017.pdf. Accessed 15 December 2018.
- Watson, D., 2007, managing civic and community engagement, Maidenhead: McGraw- Hill and Open University Press.
- Zsolnai, L., 2006, ‘Extended stakeholder theory’, Society and Business Review,Vol. 1, No.1, pp. 3744.
References
Ashitey, G., 2016, ‘Kumasi mayor Kojo Bonsu resigns’, General News, 12 July edition of Graphic Online news portal. Available online at: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/kumasi mayor-kojo-bonsu-resigns.html.
Bangura, A.K., 2019, ‘Revisiting the basics’, in A.K. Bangura, J.A. Obando, I.I. Munene and C. Shisanya, eds, Conducting research and mentoring students in Africa: CODESRIA College of Mentors handbook, Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 19–37.
Bertrand, D. and Busugutsala, G., 1998, ‘Organisation of first-cycle teaching at university: Models and issues’, Higher Education Management, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 109–136.
Boafo-Arthur, K., 2003, ‘Chieftaincy in Ghana: Challenges and prospects in the 21st century’, African-Asian Studies, Vol. 2, pp. 125–153.
Campion, B.B. and Acheampong, E., 2014, ‘The chieftaincy institution in Ghana: Causers and arbitrators of conflicts in industrial jatropha investments’, Sustainability, Vol. 6, pp. 6332– 6350.
Carroll, A. and Buchholtz, A., 2014, Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management, 9th ed., Stanford, USA: Cengage Learning.
Freeman R.E., 1984, Strategic management: A stakeholder approach, Boston, MA: Pitman.
Freeman, R.E., Harrison, J.S., Wicks, A.C., Parmar, B. and de Colle, S., 2010, Stakeholder theory: The state of the art, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gyamera, E.A., Duncan, E.E., Kuma, J.S.Y. and Arko-Adjei, A., 2018, ‘Land acquisition in Ghana: Dealing with the challenges and the way forward’, Journal of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 664–672.
Harrison, J.S., Freeman, R.E. and Sá de Abreu, M.C., 2015, ‘Stakeholder theory as an ethical approach to effective management: Applying the theory to multiple contexts’, Revista brasileira de gestão de negócios (Review of Business Management), Vol. 17, No. 55, pp. 858–869.
Hörisch, J., Freeman, E. and Schaltegger, S., 2014, ‘Applying stakeholder theory in sustainability management: links, similarities, dissimilarities, and a conceptual framework’, Organisation & Environment, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 328–346.
Hoyt, L., 2010. ‘A city–campus engagement theory from, and for, practice’, Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 75–88.
Hoyt, L. and Hollister, R., 2014, ‘Moving beyond the ivory tower: The expanding global movement of engaged universities’, in B. Hall and R. Tandon, eds, Knowledge, engagement and higher education: Rethinking social responsibility, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jeffery, N., 2009, Stakeholder engagement: A road map to meaningful engagement, The Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility, Cranfield School of Management. Available online at http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/dinamic-content/media/CR%20Stakeholder.pdf. Accessed 19 January 2018.
Jongbloed, B., Enders, J. and Salerno. C., 2008, ‘Higher education and its communities: Interconnections, interdependencies and a research agenda’, Higher Education, Vol. 56, pp. 303 324.
Khanyile, M., 2018, ‘Essentiality of stakeholder management for university survival’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 132-148.
Mainardes, E.W., Alves, H. and Raposo, M., 2012, ‘A model for stakeholder classification and stakeholder relationships’, Management Decision, Vol. 50, No. 10, pp. 1861–1879.
Mitchell, R.K., Agle, B.R. and Wood, D.J., 1997, ‘Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principles of who and what really counts’, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 853–886.
Munene, I.I., Shisanya, C., Obando, J.A. and doctoral scholars, 2019, ‘Brief descriptions of qualitative research methods’, in A.K. Bangura, J.A. Obando, I.I. Munene and C. Shisanya, eds, Conducting research and mentoring students in Africa: CODESRIA College of Mentors handbook, Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 40–59.
Nweke, K., 2012, ‘The role of traditional institutions of governance in managing social conflicts in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta communities: Imperatives of peace-building process in the post-amnesty era’, British Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 2. Panyin, A.O., 2010, ‘Chiefs and traditional authorities and their role in the democratic order and governance’, Constitutional Review Series 9, The Institute of Economic Affairs, Accra: IEA, Ghana.
Parent, M.M. and Deephouse, D.L., 2007, ‘A case study of stakeholder identification and prioritisation by managers’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 75, No.1, pp. 1–23.
Pesqueux, Y. and Damak-Ayadi, S., 2005, ‘Stakeholder theory in perspective: Corporate governance’, The International Journal of Business in Society, Vol. 5,No. 2, pp. 5–21.
Pitcher, M. G., 1976, The knot of wisdom. A chronicle of the University of Science and Technology (1951-1976), Kumasi: University of Science and Technology Publications.
Prokopy, L.S., Carlton, J.S., Arbuckle Jr., J G., Haigh, T., Lemos, M.C., Mase, A.S., Babin, N., Dunn, M., Andresen, J., Angel, J. and Hart, C., 2015, ‘Extensions role in disseminating information about climate change to agricultural stakeholders in the United States’, Climatic Change, Vol. 130, No. 2, pp. 261–272.
Shisanya, C., 2019, ‘Epistemological paradigms in social research’, in A.K. Bangura,J.A. Obando, I.I. Munene and C. Shisanya, eds, ‘Conducting research and mentoring students in Africa’, CODESRIA College of Mentors handbook. Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 39–58.
Slabá, M., 2015, ‘Stakeholder groups of public and private universities in the Czech Republic: Identification, categorisation and prioritisation’, Review of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 305–326.
Tieleman, J. and Uitermark, J., 2018, ‘Chiefs in the city: Traditional authority in the modern state’, Sociology, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 707–723.
Ubink, J.M. 2007, Traditional authority revisited: Popular perceptions of chiefs and chieftaincy in peri-urban Kumasi, Ghana, Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, Vol. 39, No. 55, pp. 123–161.
University of Ghana, 2017, University of Ghana handbook and regulations. Available online at https://www.ug.edu.gh/sites/default/files/aad/Handbook%20 Regulations%202017.pdf. Accessed 15 December 2018.
Watson, D., 2007, managing civic and community engagement, Maidenhead: McGraw- Hill and Open University Press.
Zsolnai, L., 2006, ‘Extended stakeholder theory’, Society and Business Review,Vol. 1, No.1, pp. 3744.