Africa Archives – Decentralization Net

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[ October 27, 2026 ] South Africa launches landmark White Paper on local government reform Africa
[ October 20, 2026 ] From local action to effective multilevel governance: Lessons from the UN Forum of Mayors Community
[ October 16, 2026 ] LPSA launches new Middle East and North Africa Regional Working Group Community
[ October 16, 2026 ] The Republic of Moldova is implementing sweeping local government consolidation Decentralization
[ October 15, 2026 ] Scaling up locally led climate adaptation in East Africa Africa

South Africa launches landmark White Paper on local government reform

October 27, 2026 LPS Alliance

Nearly three decades after South Africa adopted its landmark 1998 White Paper on Local Government, the country has embarked on a major overhaul of its local governance system. On October 22, 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa […]

Scaling up locally led climate adaptation in East Africa

October 15, 2026 LPS Alliance

As climate change increasingly threatens livelihoods, infrastructure, and public services across East Africa, the need for effective climate adaptation has become more urgent. Yet despite growing international commitments to climate finance, relatively little funding reaches […]

Kenya–South Africa Dialogue on Decentralization, National Oversight and Accountability

July 30, 2026 LPS Alliance

This week the Local Public Sector Alliance Sub-Saharan Africa Working Group, in partnership with the South African Research Chair in Multilevel Government at the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights, convened […]

The real financing issue in ECD and childcare isn’t finance

May 7, 2026 Jacqueline Muthura

From May 5-8, 2026, early childhood champions from around the world met in Kigali for Investing in the Early Years: A Global Technical Financing Forum, convened by ECDAN with AFECN, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO. The Local […]

Expanding property taxation in customary areas in Africa

April 10, 2026 Marina Jandrevska

Property taxation is widely recognized as a cornerstone of subnational finance and a key enabler of effective decentralization worldwide. It has recently gained increased attention across African countries. Yet, it remains one of the most […]

Decentralization under pressure: lessons from Germany’s long-term support in Africa

April 7, 2026 LPS Alliance

Decentralization has been a central pillar of governance reform across Africa for more than three decades. It has been pursued as a means to improve service delivery, to strengthen accountability, and to bring government closer […]

An inflection point in South Africa’s local government reform?

March 3, 2026 LPS Alliance

South Africa’s system of local government is at a critical juncture. Nearly three decades after the advent of democratic local governance, the country has built a comprehensive municipal system and expanded access to basic services. […]

Devolved health services in Kenya: Access, efficiency, and the unfinished business of devolution

January 31, 2026 LPS Alliance

Over the past decade, Kenya’s devolution reform has fundamentally reshaped the country’s public sector by transferring responsibility for a wide range of public sector functions—including primary health services—to 47 county governments. The intent of this […]

The new U.S.–Kenya health partnership risks missing the real problem

December 10, 2025 LPS Alliance

On December 6, the governments of Kenya and the United States announced a major five-year, $2.5 billion cooperation framework to strengthen Kenya’s health sector. The agreement signals renewed American commitment to supporting Kenya’s efforts to […]

Local governments as engines of citizen engagement in Africa

December 1, 2025 LPS Alliance

Afrobarometer’s African Insights 2025 report offers a rich and timely window into how citizens across the continent are engaging in public life, making demands on their leaders, and asserting democratic voice. While the report covers […]