Developing countries around the Commonwealth face a myriad of challenges, not least alleviating poverty and delivering local services to citizens.
A new study from the Commonwealth Secretariat examines the case of Swaziland, a landlocked lower-middle income country in Southern Africa which has made local government decentralisation a major policy objective.
Jacqueline Wilson, Director of Governance and Institutional Development at the Secretariat, says the march away from central governance has taken "centre stage" in Swaziland.
"It is the cornerstone of the government's National Development Strategy," she says. "[Yet] despite these commitments, the real challenge is to effectively transfer managerial and financial powers from centralised ministries to local authorities."
Summary of decentralisation plans
The 'Decentralisation in Swaziland' study, drawn up using materials used at a high-level workshop organised by the Secretariat last year, deals with policy, managerial and implementation issues and provides a summary of decentralisation plans and key legislative milestones in Swaziland's recent history.
International Organisations
The book, which touches on capacity-building efforts, financial decentralisation, the role of traditional leaders and awareness among citizens, also highlights related experiences from Commonwealth countries in Asia, the Pacific, and Africa, including Lesotho and Ghana.
"Decentralisation is a very serious reform process requiring the full commitment of everyone to succeed," explains Swaziland's Deputy Prime Minister, Constance Simelane, in one of the study's chapters.
Dr Munawwar Alam, the Secretariat's Adviser on Sub-National Administration and Government, who edited the study, said: "The book serves as a useful reference for not only Swazi government officials but also for countries that are dealing with local government reforms, especially from Sub-Saharan Africa, to assess reform options suitable for them."
Source:allafrica.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment