Institutional and Administrative Capacity for Development: The Case of the Benishangul-Gumuz National Regional State: Efforts,Problems and Prospects
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Date
2001-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Institutional and Administrative Capacity that should exist in the social, economic and
political institutions has become one of the essential instruments of achieving any
envisaged development policies and programs, and at the same time, sustains and
supports the several processes of development. Consequently, capacity development is
being considered as a prerequisite and a sine qua non for the commencement and success
of development objectives and goals.
After the demise of the Derg Regime, Ethiopia has launched on an unprecedented
tradition of decentralization and regionalization. Concomitantly, the regional
governments are entrusted with the legal powers of adopting and implementing
development policies and programs. However, making of policies and programs require
the availability of competent and efficient staff members and capable administration
which almost all of the regional governments lack.
The Problem of capacity is grandeur in the forlorn and marginalized peripheral regions
of the country one of which is the Benishangul-Gumuz area that did not obtain due
concern and attention by the past centralist power holders in Ethiopia. The impact of
this capacity constraint has been poor planning, formulation and execution of
development policies, programs, strategies, projects and budgets.
Presently, although the region and the federal governments have been taking up
numerous activities in order to redeem the capacity problems, especially in the area of
human resource development through education and training, the problem seems
untouched and unresolved, and in turn has negatively affected the development efforts of
the region. This study has tried to pinpoint that the overall capacity development
programs that have been carried out (be it regional or national) have not been wellplanned
need-based, and very often ill-implemented. Moreover the study has identified
that nepotism and favoritism have played significant roles in Ihe planning and
implementation of training activities in the region. As to education, Ihe study has also .
shown that quality deterioration in Ihe educalion system is overtly depicled in Ihe region
which is true of Ihe country on the whole.
In sum, since capacity problems would also resull in widening development disparity
among regions, greater emphasis should be given to this aspect than ever. Among other
options, devising differenl incentive systems of motivating, relaining and slabilizing Ihe
available civil servanls and launching of massive infrastructure building programs by Ihe
federal government in Ihe peripheral and under served areas appear as some of Ihe
mosl important solutions to the prevailing capacity problems. If not, the poorer regions
get poorer and the richer ones get richer which would in turn threatens the national
integrity and unity of the country in the long run.
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Keywords
National Regional State, Efforts,Problems