Communal Labour: A fading component of community philanthropy in Sub Saharan Africa
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Communal labour, known in Twi, a dominant Ghanaian local language, as ‘omandwuma’, refers to the collective efforts of the residents of a community to achieve a particular task or raise funds to accomplish a common goal. Communal labour promotes problem solving, community building, health and wellbeing, among others.
Several communities in Ghana and across the African continent have used communal labour to construct schools, clinics, potable water projects, roads among others either alone or in collaboration with government. It was compulsory for adult residents in certain communities and those who failed to attend were sanctioned by the leaders of the community.
Examples of successful projects through communal labour in some African countries include the construction of a school in Attakrom in the Tain District in Ghana with the support of the community members in 2018, the fixing of deplorable roads by 14 communities in the Sefwi-Wiaso Municipality, Ghana, in 2023, the construction of a 700m road by the residents of Lekki, Nigeria, in 20244, the community participation for community water projects in Ruiri Area, Meru County, Kenya, in 2018, among others.
Current state of communal labour
In recent times, due to globalisation and urbanisation, communal labour is slowly becoming a thing of the past or taking a different form, except in some rural communities. Most urban dwellers are more worried about the cost of living and their survival than volunteering free time to achieve a common goal in the community. Moreover, the absence of tax credit incentives for individual voluntary activities in most African countries, combined with substantial direct and indirect taxes, discourages most urban residents from volunteering their time for communal activities.
The near neglect of voluntary communal activities in urban areas like Accra-Ghana, Lagos-Nigeria, and Nairobi-Kenya is evident in their clogged gutters, which result in annual floods that destroy lives and properties. 5 6 7 8.
In addition, globalisation promotes cross-border migration and encourages individual achievements, which can impact the ability of local communities to mobilise for development. In other words, globalisation allows people to travel outside their communities, reducing their availability to volunteer physical labor for the development of their local areas. Africans who have migrated to other countries outside Africa increased from 17 million in 2015 to over 19.5 million in 2020.
Other forms of communal efforts due to globalisation and urbanisation
While globalisation and urbanisation do not allow people to come together often to achieve a common goal, they do offer new ways that people can contribute to the development of their communities.
For instance, urban dwellers and diasporans donate more to charitable projects for the development of their communities than rural dwellers. Recently, the Council of Ewe Associations in North America constructed a three-unit classroom block in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region10. As the Akan adage goes, “Otwe ankɔ dwa a, ne nnwoma kɔ”, translated literally as “if the duiker does not go to the market, its skin does”.
In 2023, remittances from diasporans to Ghana, driven by globalisation, reached a staggering $4.6 billion, the second largest in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) after Nigeria11. Remittances have become the major foreign exchange earner in several African countries. In Kenya, remittances surpass the country’s key exports such as tourism, tea, coffee and horticulture. Again, remittances were the major source of support for African countries that were dealing with food insecurity, drought, supply chain disruptions, floods and debt-servicing difficulties in 2023.
Also, some urban dwellers volunteer their time with charitable organisations for youth empowerment projects, cleanup exercises and good governance. Thus, while communal labour may not be organised as it used to be, it still manifests itself in several forms in the globalised SSA region.
Ways to make communal labour more effective for sustainable development
It is apparent that communal efforts are critical to the transformation of communities and countries in Sub Saharan Africa. Thus, the following ways should be explored to make it more effective.
Community-based organisations in SSA should identify and establish relationships with their indigenes and associations outside the region to enable them work together for the development of their local communities.
Governments of Sub-Saharan African countries are encouraged to initiate laws to give tax credits to philanthropic activities and services. This will motivate more people, especially in the urban centers, to undertake more philanthropic activities and services to support the efforts of the government for the development of their communities.
In conclusion, the communal efforts of the indigenes of a community both home and abroad should be harnessed through tax credits and effective relationships for sustainable development.
About the author
Peter Dadzie is an economist, data analyst and rural development advocate committed to the sustainable development of rural communities in Ghana through research, advocacy and the implementation of impactful projects. Through the Akurase Mpuntuo Foundation, a nonprofit organisation he co-founded in 2022, Peter has directly impacted over 2,000 rural dwellers in Ghana in the areas of education, healthcare, water and sanitation hygiene facilities and services. Peter’s work as an Economic and Product Research Officer at Aguila Holdings Limited allows him to support investment and business decisions with robust research and data analysis.
