Book excerpt: This book examines regional development and planning in a poor administrative region of Ghana, assessing the effectiveness of the programmes and projects initiated to reduce poverty, disadvantage and deprivation. The author analyses the local context of institutions, planning legislation, broad external (exogenous) and internal (endogenous) influencing factors and forces. He then assesses how they have impacted the effectiveness of regional policy interventions aimed at social and economic development. Using applied planning principles, the book proposes policies to address the challenges of Local Economic Development (LED), urban regeneration and conservation, housing regeneration and regional sustainability in the developing world. This book will be of interest to students, scholars policy-makers and regional planning practitioners in urban and regional development and planning, geography and African Studies.