Good Governance and Community Development: Case Study of Buea Municipality

Abstract Good governance is a vital pre-requisite instrument for the improvement of community development of every country. This is because the improvement in any government agencies largely depend on good governance. It is through good governance that development projects and programs are realized in a community. In a state where good governance is practice, accountability of governmental institutions is a priority. But in Cameroon, particularly in Buea, good governance is thrown overboard, because there is no public accountability. This poor governance is directly linked to the nature of leadership and governance in practice, nationwide. The leadership style does favor the development of good governance. Government structures lack effective coordination, transparency and public accountability. This has greatly limited active public participation in governance. The study seeks to examine the role of good governance on community development in Buea Municipality. The research made used of Community Economic Development approach or theory propounded by Blakeley in 1994. The research instruments used included both closed-ended and opened ended questionnaires. Results from the field were analyzed quantitatively with the use of chi square. It was examined that; good governance plays a positive role in community development. The study recommending that, for good governance to exist in Buea, there should be the rule of law, encouragement of community participation, transparency and accountability. Keywords Good GovernanceCommunity DevelopmentBueaMunicipality