Political governance and rural development in West Africa: A systematic review

Abstract

Political governance is widely regarded as a decisive determinant of rural development; however, the evidence from West Africa remains fragmented across countries, governance levels, and policy sectors. This article synthesises that evidence through a systematic review conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Four databases were searched, yielding 1,284 records; after de-duplication and a two-stage screening process, 12 peer-reviewed studies published between 2022 and 2026 were retained. A thematic synthesis organised the findings around five dimensions of governance: decentralisation and local government capacity, institutional quality, policy implementation, participation and accountability, and corruption and public financial management. The review finds that decentralisation improves rural outcomes only when fiscal authority, administrative capacity, and downward accountability accompany the transfer of functions; that institutional quality exerts a threshold and non-linear effect on growth and poverty reduction; and that policy design frequently outpaces implementation capacity at the subnational level. Corruption and conflict consistently attenuate the developmental returns on public expenditure. The evidence base is geographically skewed towards Anglophone states, particularly Ghana, and is dominated by cross-sectional designs. The review concludes that strengthening the governance and development nexus in rural West Africa requires genuine fiscal decentralisation, investment in local administrative capacity, and institutionalised social accountability. Comparative, longitudinal, and Francophone-inclusive research is necessary.