Participatory Development: Between Hopes and Reality

Forty years after independence, the African countries have still not taken off economically. The many indicators produced by national bodies describe a wholly discouraging situation, even worse than in the 1970s. Yet, for many years, quite large budgets have been invested in development and thousands of people are working on the subject. Why is it that, now that the development policies of the 1970s and 1980s have been questioned and there is awareness of the importance of communities' opinions about their own development, the success of "participatory" projects remains unproven? Is it not the case that participatory development has become another poorly understood, poorly applied ideology? In Togo, which is undergoing a political crisis deplored by the international community, projects are now emerging that have been developed and implemented by communities. This example can help us reach a better understanding of the social development worker's role and understand what "community participation" means in the minds of those working on the ground.