The Influence of User’s Participation in Project Development on the Performance of Projects in Local Government Authorities in Tanzania

Abstract

This study examined the influence of user’s participation in project development on the performance of projects in the Local Government Authorities in Tanzania (LGAs).The proportional sampling was used to select a sample of 278 staff from a sampling frame of 1,002 staff in the  selected LGAs. Furthermore, 20 key officials were purposively sampled for key informant’s interview as they have been working as project  Coordinators thus they were deemed knowledgeable of the issues under the study. Moreover, the study employed a mixture of data collection  methods and tools to collect data. The survey was used to collect data using structured questionnaires while interview guide and check lists were  used for both key informant interviews and desk review respectively. In addition, focus group discussion (FGD) was used to collect data from the  project coordinators from each of the projects under the study. Multiple Linear Regression Model was used to analyse quantitative data while  narrative analysis was used to analyse data from key informant interview and FGD with the aid of NVIVO software. The findings from regression  analysis show that participation of users have significant influence on the performance of projects in the LGAs in Tanzania. Basing on the findings, it  is concluded that if users are actively engaged in the development and management of projects, performance of the projects they will improve in  the LGAs . In order to ensure that LGA projects flourish and comply with the internal control system (ICS) and is maximized, this study recommends  for the Government to establish a Tailor-Made Institutional Development Framework (IDF) that will customize the requirements of all LGAs related  to the projects to optimize performance. The study also recommends for the establishment of People Centred Holistic Engagement (PeCHE)  approach to ensure that users are maximally engaged during the cycle of project development.