Assessing the Institutional Environment of Local Governments in Africa 2015, 2nd Edition

Given the unprecedented rate at which African cities are growing (over 3% per year on average), the urban population of the continent is expected to double over the next 20 to 30 years with the majority of Africans living within cities.

 

This fact is both good and bad news for African cities, which are expected now to play greater roles politically, socially and economically. In fact, as a result of decentralization laws, local governments are at the forefront of the urbanisation process as governance is emerging as a major issue. However, the work of local governments largely depends on the transparency of the policy framework and on how leeway they are given by national governments.

Against this backdrop, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) and Cities Alliance have come together for the second time to produce an assessment of the enabling environment for well-functioning cities and local authorities in Africa.

Three years after the publication of the first evaluation in 2012, the 2015 edition of Assessing the Institutional Environment of Local Governments in Africa provides an updated analysis.

The report highlights the progress and constraints of decentralization, outlines potential ways to improve its implementation and rates each country according to the city enabling environment provided by the national government.

 

Assessing the Institutional Environment of Local Governments in Africa is available in English here.