Fast-tracking rural development : The example of Korea
Since independence in 1957, Ghana has implemented diverse projects as part of efforts to transform its rural communities. One of such initiatives was the implementation of rural electrification project to extend power supply to rural areas in late 1990s. The rationale was to promote economic activities in those communities.
Another example was the establishment of rural banks in 1970s to mobilise resources in the rural communities and channel them towards economic and agricultural ventures in rural areas. A more recent example is the establishment of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to spearhead the development of the three regions of the north and parts of the Brong Ahafo and Volta regions.
Apart from the three examples cited, there have been many other initiatives such as village infrastructure project, rural enterprise programme and CHIPs compounds to address specific problems of the rural communities. All the numerous initiatives cannot be contained in this contribution.
Development disparities
In spite of the policy initiatives and the progress so far made, there are still disparities between development in the urban centres and rural communities. For instance, in rural communities, incomes are low, educational facilities are inadequate, rural enterprises are few and agriculture, which is the mainstay of the country’s economy, is largely confined to the traditional system of slash and burn.
To reduce the disparities in the levels of development in urban and rural areas, the rural development prescription of South Korea presents itself as one of the options that Ghana can consider.
SaemaulUndong (new village movement)
In the 1970s, Korea had an industrialised urban sector and underdeveloped rural communities, a situation similar to that of Ghana now. Confronted with such a challenge, the Korean President at the time, Mr Park Chung-hee, the father of the current President of Korea, Ms Park Geun-hye, rolled out an initiative called SaemaulUndong, which means new village movement, to accelerate the pace of the development of rural areas in Korea. The initiative was based on philosophy of community-led development.
Hinged on the values of diligence, self-help and cooperation, SaemaulUndong involved measures such as the mobilisation of human and financial resources of rural communities, massive support from the central government, implementation of projects led by the communities and healthy competition or co-operation among rural communities.
Material support
After massive public education to educate the rural communities, whip up their enthusiasm and change their mindset from a dependency syndrome to the belief in themselves, the government redistributed some of the resources of the country in their favour.
Under the initiative, the government gave out plans, 335 bags of cement and a tonne of iron rods to 33,267 villages in Korea to embark on projects. To promote healthy competition, the government ranked all the beneficiary communities in the order of whether or not they had been successful in the implementation of the projects.
Out of the number, 16,600 communities were selected as having been successful in using their resources judiciously. Each of them was provided with additional 500 bags of cement and a tonne of iron rods to either continue with their projects or embark on new ones. The ministers of state were charged with the responsibility for ensuring the success of the programme, and their continued stay in office was indexed on how successful they supervised the communities.
The then President invited some of the community leaders to his cabinet meetings to discuss any challenges confronting the implementation of the project.
There was also a conscious move to ensure that women were represented on the leadership committees at the local level. Mr Park and his team composed different songs to instil patriotism and a can-do-spirit in the rural dwellers to take charge of the development of their communities.
In the early stages, the initiative focused on improving the living conditions of the people and maintaining their environment. Later, it shifted its attention to building rural infrastructure and increasing incomes.
Outcomes
Within nine years of its implementation, SaemaulUndong was said to have contributed immensely towards increasing household incomes from an average of 225,500 Korean won to 1,531,800 Korean won. Tiled houses were built by the rural communities to replace thatched houses that had dominated the skylines of the rural areas. Poverty also decreased from 27.9 per cent to 10.8 per cent.
Statistics showed that prior to 1974, foreign aid and grants constituted 60 per cent of all investments in Korea. By 1974, during which the SaemaulUndong was implemented, foreign aid and grants had dropped to 20 per cent.
International acceptance
Certainly, the movement could not have been executed without challenges and criticisms. One of them is that it lost momentum by the early 1980s when the dynamics of the Korean economy changed drastically.
However, in view of its advantages, the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, at a conference in New York in September, 2015 observed that the SaemaulUndong has a potential to help developing countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently countries such as Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Uganda, Vietnam, Laos and Mynarmar have either adopted the model or are in the process of adopting it to enhance rural development.
Pilot
In Ghana, the model has been introduced successfully at the Dawenya rice irrigation project as a community-integrated development initiative. The Korean government has earmarked $6million dollars to support farmer-based cooperative organisations in Ghana to introduce the SaemaulUndong experience to other areas in Ghana. If it turns out successfully, the model can be adapted to suit the local situation to fast track the development of rural areas in the country.
Writer’s email: nehemiah,achiaw@graphic.com.gh