Africa Archives – Decentralization Net

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[ April 24, 2026 ] India’s fiscal equalization system: balancing equity and efficiency Asia
[ April 19, 2026 ] Does federalism strengthen democratic participation? Decentralization
[ April 10, 2026 ] Decentralized responsibilities without decentralized resources? Decentralization
[ April 10, 2026 ] Expanding property taxation in customary areas in Africa Africa
[ April 7, 2026 ] Decentralization under pressure: lessons from Germany’s long-term support in Africa Africa

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 […]

How decentralization is shaping economic development in Burkina Faso

November 24, 2025 Lynn Wambu

Over the past few decades, decentralization has become a key reform strategy across sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to bring the government closer to the people and boost local development. Burkina Faso offers a compelling case. A […]

Decentralization and its financing in Togo

November 21, 2025 LPS Alliance

Togo’s decentralization journey has been long, uneven, and politically complex. Yet in recent years—especially since the landmark municipal elections of 2019 and the regional elections of 2024—the country has taken meaningful steps toward establishing a […]

Advancing multilevel governance and urban finance in Somalia

October 27, 2025 Jacqueline Muthura

The Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA), in partnership with the World Bank Somalia, implemented a sequence of two capacity-building programs in 2025 designed to equip Somali policymakers and practitioners with the skills, tools, and frameworks […]

County childcare as an avenue to women’s economic empowerment in Kenya

October 7, 2025 Jacqueline Muthura

Under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution (Part II (9)), county governments in Kenya have constitutional functions and powers for “pre-primary education, village polytechnics, homecraft centres and childcare.” Furthermore, the 2010 Constitution of Kenya provides […]