Multi-stakeholder dialogue and company-community relations in Ghana's oil and gas sector

Abstract

This study explores the perceptions of citizens in six coastal districts within Ghana's Western Region regarding the multi-stakeholder dialogue process and its outcomes through the work of the Western Region Coastal Foundation (WRCF). Employing a multidisciplinary, mixed-methods approach, the research reveals divergent opinions among stakeholders who participated in the dialogue sessions. While some stakeholders appreciated the platform as an avenue to voice their expectations and grievances, others criticized it as mere talk without delivering tangible benefits from oil revenues. This disparity stems partly from the assumption that the dialogue platform provides a level playing field for all participants, with aligned incentives and interests. However, stakeholders have varied expectations and incentives, underscoring the importance of acknowledging the agency of participants and the power dynamics that shape engagement processes. The study concludes by recommending that future research focus on identifying effective strategies that may help achieve supposedly ‘win-win’ outcomes between oil and gas companies and host communities, with particular attention to the perspectives of local actors who are often presumed to automatically benefit without a clear understanding of the mechanisms through which such benefits are realized.