The study is institutional, focusing on an appraisal of the participation of Community Development Association (CDA) in the management of community banks in Nigeria. Thirty nine (39) regulators of the programme, drawn from the National Board for Community Banks; the then supervising agency, were the respondents. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on the roles and depth of involvement of the CDA in the bank’s management. Also the success of such roles and the challenges faced were examined. Simple and multiple percentages as well as chi-square (X2) were the statistical tools used in data analysis. The study found that even though the acquisition of the controlling equity by the CDA, as statutorily provided, was not fully successful, they were however involved in the bank’s management. Notable challenges such as the difficulty of using CDA when conflict exits in the host community, the presence of unfit CDA representatives in the bank’s board and tussles for board membership among the villages or communities owning the banks were evident.
Keywords: Bank Regulators, Community, Community Banks, Community Development Association, Community Participation
