Africa Archives – Decentralization Net

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 […]

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 […]

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 funding for childcare in Kenya

September 17, 2025 Jacqueline Muthura

Kenya’s 2010 devolved constitution established county governments as the primary level of government responsible for the provision of childcare facilities, assigning them a mandate that is both critical and, until devolution, largely undefined. Despite considerable […]

Local Fiscal Transformation in East Africa

August 3, 2025 Jacqueline Muthura

Introduction Over the past decade, public financial management (PFM) reform has emerged as a cornerstone of fiscal modernization efforts across East Africa. From Kenya’s digital procurement platforms to Somalia’s adoption of international accounting standards, the […]

Fiscal decentralization and economic growth in African and OECD countries

July 28, 2025 LPS Alliance

It is no secret that there is a strong correlation between a country’s level of development and its degree of (fiscal) decentralization. After all, many OECD countries are quite highly devolved, whereas many non-OECD countries […]

Unlocking Municipal Finance for African Cities

June 14, 2025 Marina Jandrevska

African cities are vital areas that require well-funded infrastructure and services to be livable, sustainable, and productive. However, financing urban development is a complex issue. A recent working paper by the African Cities Research Consortium […]

African School on Decentralisation 2025

May 21, 2025 Jacqueline Muthura

ASD Applications for 2025 are open! Course Description The theme for the Fifth African School on Decentralisation (ASD) is ‘Decentralisation and Finances’. The 2025 ASD will focus on how decentralization governance in Africa is financed, […]