Local government public service delivery in Africa

Abstract

To foster economic development in Africa, countries of different regions on the continent need to integrate their systems of local government in order to provide improved public services to their respective communities. Bearing this in mind, the article proceeds to do a comparative study in order to examine some of the best practices on the continent in terms of local governance. Therefore, the focus is on two countries that represent two different regions: Great Lakes (Uganda) and Southern region (South Africa) which are becoming exemplary in terms of local governance. The analysis of the two cases will assist in coming up with a standardised model that might be useful on the continent, in particular in the context of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). There is no intention of affirming that these two countries have arrived, but the approach they have taken might be useful to SADC countries. For instance, the public service in Uganda relies significantly on the delivery of public services at the municipal level, primarily the district councils. In this context, local government becomes a key element in the search for new ways of governance in the country. The rationale of this approach is that the prevailing setback is the issue of poverty and that the most effective way of tackling it is about empowering the people to provide the services that they judge necessary, and to decide their own local priorities in the allocation of resources. South Africa strives to establish a developmental local government that endeavours working together with local communities to find a sustainable way to meet their needs and provide improved public services. Despite these two cases, public service delivery at the local level remains a challenge in many countries on the continent. The article insists on the synergy that needs to be created between public service leadership and local governance which are essential in improving service delivery in individual countries in Africa.