LPSA Expert Working Group on Sub-Saharan Africa – Open Meeting – October 19 2023

October 19, 2023, (14:00 EAT / 13:00 SAST / 12:00 WAT)

LPSA’s Regional Working Group on Sub Saharan African Open Meeting took place on October 19, 2023, (14:00 EAT/ 13:00 SAST/ 12:00 WAT). The meeting was opened and moderated by Jamie Boex, the Executive Director of the Local Public Sector Alliance. Addis last month.

Prof Zemelak Ayele, Associate Professor at the Centre for Federal Studies, Addis Ababa University provided an update on the African School of Decentralization that took place in Addis last month. The African School of Decentralization is a two-week international post-graduate course on decentralization in Africa that examines the basic concepts and practice of decentralization in African countries from comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives. The main aim is to give content to, and promote the African Union’s Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development.

This was followed by an update LPSA’s LoGICA Framework by Nick Travis about the. This is an effort to prepare an assessment of the State of Local Governance Institutions in Africa using the framework. The open meeting centered around two key themes. The first was presented by Lena Weiler who is currently managing GIZ`s Good Financial Governance program in Mozambique. Lena presented on the “Devolution in Mozambique with a Focus on Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations”. Jaap De Visser, who is one of the co-chairs of the LPSA working group presented on the “Equitable Share for Local Government in South Africa and its Redistributive Effect by the working group’s own”.

All the discussions were followed by Q&A sessions. Jamie Boex concluded the meeting with updates on the works of LPSA, introduction of the global working groups and details on the next quarterly meeting.


No.Agenda ItemContributor
1.Welcome Remarks & Introduction to New Co-ChairJamie Boex
2.Update on the African School of DecentralizationZemelak Ayele
3.LoGICA UpdateNick Travis
4.Devolution in Mozambique with a Focus on Intergovernmental
Fiscal Relations
Lena Weiler
5.The Equitable Share for Local Government in South Africa and
its Redistributive Effect
Jaap De Visser
6.Discussion in PlenaryJamie Boex
7.Any other businessJamie Boex

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