Enhancing Extractive Resource Governance in Ghana and Nigeria under Fragmented Policy Landscape and Limited Resource Scenarios: Insight from the Barrow Framework

Abstract

Policy coherence is key to ensuring that the wellbeing of society is achieved within an environment that guarantees sustainable production and consumption patterns. From a conceptual lens of the Barrow Framework, we examine governance lapses in extractive resource governance and explore mechanisms for integrating policy coherence, environmental sustainability and strengthening governance arrangements in Ghana and Nigeria. The Barrow Framework’s Index Score (BAR-X) employs Multi-Criteria Decision-Making analysis in a focus group discussion and Policy Coherence Analysis to identify policy gaps and prioritize institutions, socioeconomic and environmental themes. Policy coherence analysis of Ghana and Nigeria from the BAR-X showed an overall performance of 34 % and 30 % respectively falling far below the minimum expected score of 80 %. We demonstrate that resource governance policies of Ghana and Nigeria do not adequately address the tripod of institutional efforts, developmental load and the biospherical pivot. Under extremely limited resource conditions, it is recommended that civil society/non-profit organisations, financial institutions and regional institutions are supported with proceeds from extractive resources to particularly promote agroecology, technology and innovation towards maintaining ecological balance through preservation, protection, conservation and the reduction of ecological and carbon footprints.