From Civic Consciousness to Social Accountability: Community Radio’s Role in Enhancing Local Governance Outcomes in Northern Ghana

Despite three decades of decentralisation reforms across Sub-Saharan Africa, persistent participatory deficits characterise local governance systems, with rural citizens systematically marginalised from democratic processes. This ethnographic qualitative case study examines how community radio (CR) functions as democratic infrastructure, addressing these deficits through analysing Simli Radio in Ghana’s Kumbungu District. Employing 42 days of ethnographic radio listening observation, one focus group discussion with assembly members and six with mixed gender Radio Listener Club members, seven key informant interviews, and document analysis conducted over a four-month period, the research addresses two interrelated questions examining mechanisms through which CR transforms civic consciousness and establishes accountability architectures. Findings reveal that indigenous-language broadcasting develops critical consciousness among marginalised citizens through broadcasts that translate complex political processes into locally comprehensible discussions. Public scrutiny platforms, institutionalised oversight sessions, and evidence-based citizen journalism compel government responsiveness through reputational pressure mechanisms operating beyond electoral cycles. However, critical analysis demonstrates that both consciousness-building and accountability mechanisms operate within bounded spaces where fundamental power asymmetries remain substantially unchanged, establishing realistic expectations for community media’s democratic capacity in rural African contexts.