Journal of Business and African Economy (JBAE )

E-ISSN 2545-5281
P-ISSN 2695-2238
VOL. 10 NO. 3 2024
DOI: 10.56201/jbae.v10.no3.2024.pg47.72


Endogenous Regional Business and Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Initiatives in the Central Region of Ghana

Sam C. M. Ofori


Abstract


Exogenous regional development approaches had failed to deliver turn-around in the declined space-economies of most administrative regions in Ghana. The relatively poor Central Region decided to embark on an endogenous regional development intervention, including the establishment of its own development company, Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM) to manage the process and successfully implemented three innovative strategic programmes during the 1990/1991 to 2000/2001 periods. Following these, however, CEDECOM ended its original mandate and considered it necessary to reposition and refocus on business and enterprise development and investment promotion. The study aimed to explore, analyse and reflect on how CEDECOM managed this context, based on its repositioning, internal organisational structure, enterprise development and business focus, corporate environment, organisational and competitive performance. Literature review was used to derive concepts of exogenous and endogenous regional development processes, the latter theoretically modelled, based on 9 main factors, focused on business and enterprise development and investment promotion, all involving secondary qualitative material. An in-depth field interview was undertaken with key officers of CEDECOM and the regional governance body about the Commission’s general practices and repositioned and reemphasised approaches, producing primary and qualitative data. A Strength- Weakness-Opportunity-Threat model was used to assess the competitive and corporate environment of CEDECOM. CEDECOM’s performance based on the identified factors was largely limited and questioned the effectiveness of its repositioned and reemphasised approaches. It became less competitive due to these and its weak financial position, compared with its competitors, hardly succeeding in effectively promoting the regional competitiveness. Concluding, CEDECOM needed to secure explicit legislative


keywords:

Exogenous regional development; endogenous regional development; regional


References:


Acheampong, R. A. (2019). Spatial planning in Ghana; Origins, Contemporary Reforms and
Practices and New Perspectives. The Urban Book Series. Cham, Switzerland: Springer
Nature Switzerland AG.
Adarkwa, K. K. (2013). The Changing Face of Ghanaian Towns. African Review of Economics
and Finance, 4: 1-29.
Adetoye, D. (2016). The Political Economy of State Creation and Socioeconomic Development in
Nigeria. European Journal of Research and Social Sciences. Vol. 4, No. 2, 36-44.
Adhikary, U. (2021). Political Economy: Definition, History, Characteristics, Importance.
Available: https://www.sociologygroup.com/political-economy/ (Friday 22 October
2021).
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) (2023). About The AfCFTA; Brief Overview.
https://aw-afcfta.org/about.
African Union Commission (2018). Agreement Establishing The African Continental Free trade
Area. African Union Commission, Addis Ababa.
Againglo, R. and Gao, J. (2016). Promotion of Entrepreneurship in West Africa, Lessons from
Ghana.
Open
Journal
of
Business
and
Management,
Vol.
04
No.
03,
https://file.scirp.org/Html/16-1530336_69170.htm.
Ajulor, O. V. (2006). The Concept, Nature and Scope of Political Economy. In Ndukwu, P. N. and
Nnaubani, O. O. (eds.). Readings In General Studies Education, Vol. 1 (Humanities and
Social Sciences), Lagos: Optimal Infortech, 76-92.
Antonescu, D. (2015). Theoretical approaches of endogenous regional development. Munich
Personal RePEc Archive (MPRA) Paper No. 64679. Institute of National Economy,
Romanian Academy. Bucharest, Romania.
Badal, B. P. (2016). Debate on Exogenous and Endogenous Rural Development.
bpbadal.blogspot.com/2016/03/debate-on-exogenous-and-endogenous.html.
Blakely, E. J. (2011). Rural, urban or regional endogenous development as the core concept in the
planning profession. In: Stimson, R. J., Stough, R. R. and Nijkamp, P. (Eds.) (2011).
Endogenous Regional Development; Perspectives, Measurement and Empirical
Investigations, Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, 73-82.
Capello, R. (2016). Regional Economics. Second Edition, London: Routledge.
Central Region Development Commission (2011). Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2011–2015.
Central Region Development Commission, Cape Coast.
Çiçek, H. (2013). Critical Evaluation of Endogenous Regional Development Theories. PhD Thesis
(City and Regional Planning). Department of City and Regional Planning. Middle East
Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, edd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12615764/index.pdf.
Cooke, P., Clifton, N., and Oleaga, M. (2005). Social capital, firm embeddedness and regional
development. Regional Studies, 39(8): 1065-1077.
Deuskar, C. (2019). Clientelism and Planning in the Informal Settlements of Developing
Democracies. Journal of Planning Literature. Vol. 34(4), 395-407.
Drazen, A. (2002). Political Economy in Macroeconomics. New Jersey, USA: Princeton
University Press.
Edomah,
N.
(2019).
Regional
Development
in
Africa:
An
Overview.
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/70328.
Ewen, S. (2003). Exogenous Development vs. Endogenous Development in Haiti. Bachelor of
Arts (Liberal Arts and Sciences) degree dissertation. Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter,
Florida, United States.
Flyvbjerg, B. (1998). Rationality and Power: Democracy in Practice. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2003). Rationality and Power. In Campbell, S. and Fainstein, S. S. (eds). Readings
in Planning Theory. Second edition. Oxford: Blackwell, 318-329.
Goodfellow, T. (2012). State effectiveness and the politics of urban development in East Africa;
A puzzle of two cities, 2000-2010, PhD Thesis, Department of International Development,
London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London.
Hien, D. M. (2007). The Needs of Endogenous Development in the Era of Globalization: The Case
of
Thanh
Hoa
Province.
semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Needs-for-Endogenous-
Development-in-the-Era-fof-Hien/c6f48ufafd05af2ccdf0331f93b80352ccd053172.
International Labour Organization (2007). Entrepreneurship and enterprise development,
https://www.ilo.org/empert/areas/entrepreneurship-and-enterprise-devpt/lang-en/.
Kuada, J. (2021). Enterprise Development and Poverty Alleviation in Sub-Sahara Africa:
Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda. African Business Education and Research.
Working Paper Series No 008,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353445753_Enterprise_Development_in_
Africa.
Knutsen, H. M. (2003). Black entrepreneurs, local embeddedness and regional economic
development in Northern Namibia. Journal of Modern African Studies, 41(4): 555–586.
Lee Yong-Sook, Tee Ying-Chian and Kim Dong-wan (2009). Endogenous versus exogenous
development: a comparative study of biotechnology industry cluster policies in South
Korea and Singapore. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 27: 612-631.
Maidment, F. H. (Ed) (1998). Management 98/99. Sixth edition. Guilford, Connecticut:
Dushkin/McGrawhill.
McQuade, L. C. (1961). The Development Corporation in Africa. The American Journal of
Comparative Law, Summer, Vol. 10(3): 188-204.
Millar, D. Apusigah, A. and Boonzaijer, C. (Eds.) (2008). Endogenous Development in Africa,
Towards a Systematisation of Experiences. COMPAS, Navrongo Campus, Ghana:
Leusden and University of Development Studies.
Millar, D. (2014). Endogenous development: some issues of concern. Development in Practice,
Vol. 24(5-6): 637-647.
Ofori, S. C. (2000). Assessing regional development corporations and regional development in
Ghana and the Third World. Working Paper Series no. 76. School of Planning and Housing,
Faculty of the Built Environment, Birmingham City University (Formerly University of
Central England), Birmingham, UK.
Ofori, S. C. (2002). Regional policy and regional planning in Ghana: Making things happen in the
territorial community, (Original Version). Aldershot: Ashgate (now Routledge)
Ofori, S. C. M. (2021). Endogenous Regional Policy and Development Planning in Ghana.
London: Routledge.
Organisation for Economic Development and Co-operation (2010). Regional Development
Policies in OECD Countries. Paris: Organisation for Economic Development and Co-
operation,
https://www.oecd.org/cfe/regional-
policy/regionaldevelopmentpoliciesinoecdcountries.htm.
Republic of Ghana (1973). Regional Development Corporation Act, (N.R.C.D. 140) 1973. Accra:
Assembly Press.
Republic of Ghana (2020). Ghana Enterprises Agency Act, 2020 (Act 1043). Accra: Assembly
Press.
Tödtling, F. (1977). Endogenous Regional Development, Origins, Key Ideas and Present
Relevance. C:/Users/USER/Desktop/REG%20ENDO%20DEVPT/Todtling-11977.pdf.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (2017). African
Entrepreneurship Forum; Entrepreneurship Policies for Regional Inclusive and Sustainable
Development,
https//unctad.org/system/files/official-
document/diaeopf2017dDI_report_en_pdf.
Vermiere, B., De Steur, H., Gellynck, X. and Viaere, J. (2008). Exploring the role of networks in
reconciling endogenous and exogenous drivers of business development in rural areas.
Paper presented at the 8th International Conference of the Management in AgriFood
Chains and Networks, https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8504322.
Republic of Ghana (2010). Savannah Accelerated Development Authority Act, (Act 805) 2010.
Accra: Assembly Press.
Republic of Ghana (2017). Coastal Development Authority Act, (Act 961) 2017. Accra: Assembly
Press.
Republic of Ghana (2017b) Middle Belt Development Authority Act, (Act 962) 2017. Accra:
Assembly Press.
Republic of Ghana (2017c). Northern Development Authority Act, (Act 963) 2017. Accra:
Assembly Press.
Republic of Ghana (2020). Ghana Enterprises Agency Act, 2020 (Act 1043). Accra: Assembly
Press.
Schermerhorn, J. R. (1999


DOWNLOAD PDF

Back