In December 2021, the Local Public Sector Alliance convened a series of virtual knowledge sharing events on Decentralization and Local Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Progress on devolution and local governance in the region was found to be uneven, and the extent and pace of decentralization can be described as moderate at best. An initial assessment of the state of local governance institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa indicates that although some countries have devolved regional or local government institutions, decentralization and localization efforts are in need of strengthening and deepening in countries around the region. This is especially true if we wish subnational governance institutions in Africa to be effective and empowered actors in efforts to localize sustainable development and/or to engage in decentralized development cooperation.
The Local Public Sector Alliance—led by LPSA’s Working Group on Sub-Saharan Africa and other Africa-based members of the Alliance–wants to engage with experts and partner organizations on how best to support and advocate for more inclusive and effective decentralization and localization in Sub-Saharan Africa.
To this effect, LPSA—along with key partner organizations—is organizing the workshop “Elevating The Debate On Decentralization and Multilevel Governance In Africa” which will be held at the Emara Ole-Sereni Hotel, in Nairobi, Kenya, from May 20-22, 2024 (9:00-17:00, NBO). Interested colleagues will be able to join us online via Zoom.
The workshop is hosted by the Local Public Sector Alliance in partnership with the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights (University of the Western Cape, South Africa); the East Africa Local Governments Association (EALGA); the Institute for Local Government Studies, Ghana; and the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC), Kenya.
The workshop will explore the following: How can subnational governance institutions in Africa pursue more effective interventions to localize sustainable development and engage in decentralized development cooperation? How can bringing together stakeholders from across the continent to engage in knowledge development, knowledge sharing, and evidence-informed policy advocacy ‘elevate the debate’ and promote effective decentralization and localization as a critical precondition for resilient, inclusive, sustainable, equitable and efficient development?
The tentative (updated) program for the workshop is available here.
Registering for this program (held in May 2024) is no longer possible.
The workshop’s proceedings–along with videos of all the workshop sessions–are available here.
