Culture: The Forgotten Dimension of Development

Culture and development are two closely related concepts that are often discussed separately, even though each significantly influences the other. To understand why culture is sometimes described as the forgotten dimension of development, it is necessary to define both concepts and examine their relationship, particularly within the Ghanaian context.

Culture can be defined as the totality of the beliefs, values, customs, traditions, language, knowledge, skills, arts and ways of life shared by a group of people and transmitted, adapted or reinterpreted across generations. It shapes how people understand the world, relate to one another, organize their communities and interact with their environment. Culture is therefore more than festivals, traditional dances, clothing and ceremonies; it also includes the knowledge systems and social practices through which communities respond to everyday challenges.

Development, on the other hand, is the process through which individuals, communities and nations improve their economic, social, political, environmental and general living conditions. It involves increasing opportunities, reducing poverty and inequality, improving education and healthcare, creating employment, protecting the environment and enabling people to live dignified and fulfilling lives. Development is consequently broader than economic growth, which primarily refers to an increase in the production of goods and services within an economy.

As the economist and development thinker Amartya Sen argues in Development as Freedom (1999), development should be understood in terms of expanding people's substantive freedoms and opportunities. This perspective reminds us that development is not merely about the accumulation of wealth but also about expanding people's ability to live the lives they value.

Development is often measured through indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP), employment levels, infrastructure, educational attainment, life expectancy and per capita income. Per capita income, which is calculated by dividing a country's total income by its population, provides an estimate of average income per person. It is useful for assessing economic prosperity, but it does not show how income is distributed or whether ordinary citizens enjoy improved living conditions. A country may record rising per capita income while many of its people continue to experience poverty, unemployment, inadequate healthcare and unequal access to opportunities.

Economic growth, therefore, should not automatically be equated with development. A country's progress must be assessed not only by how much wealth it generates, but also by how effectively that wealth improves people's lives.

The importance of culture becomes evident when we consider how communities organize their economic and social activities. In Ghana, indigenous knowledge systems have sustained communities for generations. Traditional farming methods, local seed preservation, knowledge of medicinal plants, customary conflict-resolution mechanisms, indigenous architecture and community-based environmental management all demonstrate the practical value of cultural knowledge.

Yet, in many development discussions, culture remains a secondary consideration. Development is frequently presented as a process of modernization in which traditional practices must give way to supposedly more advanced external models. This approach overlooks the fact that communities possess valuable knowledge and experience that can contribute to sustainable development.

The Ghanaian farmer who understands local soil conditions, seasonal rainfall patterns and traditional crop varieties possesses knowledge that may complement modern agricultural science. Similarly, indigenous methods of preserving food, managing community resources and resolving disputes may offer useful lessons for contemporary development planning. These practices should not be accepted uncritically, since some may require scientific evaluation or adaptation. Nevertheless, dismissing them simply because they are traditional would mean losing potentially valuable resources for development.

The argument that culture deserves greater attention in development is consistent with the work of Edward Burnett Tylor, who defined culture in Primitive Culture (1871) as a complex whole encompassing knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and other capabilities and habits acquired by people as members of society. Although this definition emerged in a different historical context, it highlights the broad range of human experience that culture encompasses. Development policies that ignore these dimensions risk overlooking the social realities that shape people's responses to change.

Culture also has economic value. Ghana's traditional crafts, textiles, music, cuisine, festivals, storytelling and historical heritage can generate employment, support tourism and stimulate local enterprise. When communities participate meaningfully in developing these cultural assets, they can earn income while preserving their identities. However, commercialization must be managed responsibly to prevent exploitation, cultural distortion and the exclusion of the communities whose heritage creates the value.

The relationship between culture and development is particularly important when considering the distribution of economic benefits. Rising per capita income may suggest that a country is becoming wealthier, but the figure can conceal substantial differences between urban and rural communities and between people who have access to economic opportunities and those who remain marginalized. Development policies must therefore consider not only income growth but also equity, participation, dignity and access to essential services.

For Ghana, this means that development planning should give communities a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their lives. Indigenous knowledge holders, traditional authorities, farmers, women, young people and local artisans should not be treated merely as beneficiaries of government programmes. They should be recognized as contributors to the development process. Their participation can help ensure that policies respond to local realities rather than imposing solutions that appear attractive on paper but fail during implementation.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has consistently emphasized the relationship between culture and sustainable development. This perspective challenges the assumption that culture is simply an ornament to economic progress. Rather, cultural heritage, creativity and local knowledge can contribute to social cohesion, livelihoods, environmental sustainability and community resilience.

However, respect for culture must not become an excuse for preserving practices that violate human rights, reinforce discrimination or prevent people from accessing opportunities. Culture is dynamic rather than static. It evolves as societies encounter new ideas, technologies and social realities. The objective should therefore be to preserve and strengthen valuable cultural knowledge while critically addressing practices that undermine human dignity, equality and progress.

As Ghana pursues industrialization, digital transformation, agricultural modernization and other development priorities, the country must recognize that sustainable progress requires more than importing technology or adopting external models. Modern scientific knowledge and indigenous experience should complement each other wherever appropriate. Such an approach can promote locally relevant solutions, strengthen community ownership and make development initiatives more responsive to the needs of the people.

As I conclude, Ghana must move beyond the narrow assumption that development is achieved simply by increasing national income, expanding infrastructure or adopting modern technologies. These are important objectives, but they are insufficient when separated from the cultural realities of the people they are intended to serve. Indigenous knowledge should not be treated as a relic of the past but as a potential resource for addressing contemporary challenges.

Amartya Sen's understanding of development as the expansion of human freedoms offers an important reminder that economic progress should ultimately enlarge people's opportunities and improve their lives. In the same spirit, Ghana must recognize culture not as an obstacle to modernization but as a resource that can inform and enrich it. By combining indigenous knowledge with scientific innovation, inclusive economic policies and respect for human rights, the country can pursue development that is economically productive, socially inclusive, culturally grounded and environmentally sustainable.

The true measure of development lies not merely in how wealthy a nation becomes, but in how effectively it transforms that wealth into a better life for its people while respecting the knowledge, identity and dignity that make them who they are.