EFFECT OF STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT FOR EFFECTIVE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION IN THE CASE OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN BUTAJIRA TOWN, CENTRAL ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACT Project implementation depends on a number of factors. Stakeholder engagement practices at different stages of the project life cycle might have effects to the implementation of the project. The study aimed to evaluate effect of stakeholder engagement on the project implementation of road construction in Butajira. The study"s aim was reached through the assessment of the relationships between effect of stakeholder engagement and effective implementation on the four implementation parameters namely; project timely completion, quality, cost efficiency, and profitability. The target population was 110 participants and these included project staff and project managers and other project stakeholders. The sample size of 86 respondents was determined using Solvent"s formula. The researcher use purposive and random sampling. Data was collected from primary sources using questionnaires and interviews. After collecting data, the researcher organized well-answered questionnaire, data was edited and sorted for the next stage. The data was presented in table form with frequencies and percentages. The study findings revealed that the sample constituted of 86 respondents of which 63.9% were males and the 36.1% were females. The research approach that adopted in this study was quantitative and qualitative with descriptive research design. Data was analyzed through Statistical Package Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Simple descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were determined to analyze the findings. The findings showed that there is a strong positive correlation between Stakeholder engagement practices in project planning, identification, monitoring and evaluation, and resource mobilization and project implementation. As conclusion, effective stakeholder engagement in project planning, identification, monitoring and evaluation and resource mobilizations played a great role on the project implementation at road construction as evidenced by the findings from the study. The study recommends that the organizations and the community should play a critical role in decision making because they are the beneficiaries of the projects and know well projects are beneficial to them.