District Level Decentralization Program in the Somali Region: Preliminary Assessments with Particular Reference to Jig-Jiga and Babile Woredas
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Date
2007-03
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
After decades of highly centralized and unitary political system and administrative setup,
Ethiopia has been following federal system of government and decentralization policy of
regional and local governance and democratization process immediately after the downfall of
the military regime in 1991. The process of decentralization in Ethiopia has taken place in two
major phases. The first phase was decentralization from the central government to autonomous
regions which was done at ones and referred to as the first wave of decentralization in Ethiopia,
while the second phase was from regions to woredas and has not taken place at the same time
unlike the devolution from the central government to regions. But rather DLDP (or the second
wave of decentralization in Ethiopia) from regions to woredas took place in two major phases
based probably on regions' level of development and political maturity; that is, relatively
developed four regions embarked the program first and then followed by the sO called emerging
regions. DLDP in the Somali region has been probably the last of all regions and had it not the
pressure from the central government it would have not been implemented even to its current
low level status.
In view of this, the study attempted to explore the objectives, driving forcers), design, processes,
scope, legal and institutional frameworks and implementation status of the recently embarked
DLDP in the Somali region. Secondly, the study provided a modest preliminary investigation of
some performance indicators of the program in terms of local governance processes,
community participation and empowerment and basic service delivery with particular reference
to two woredas. Finally, the paper tried to unveil some of the major inherent and encountered
problems, and the possible prospects of the program as well as contradictions of the basic
requirements of the program and the way of life of the most inhabitants of the region. To this
regard the study concluded that DLDP in the Somali has been embarked and implemented
hastily in a big-bang, one-time event, project-like, top-down and uniform approaches without
adequate policy, legal and institutional frameworks as well as with very limited participation and
preparedness of the stakeholders (woreda governments and the community) at local level. As a
result of these, the program current implementation status is not doing well both in terms of
governance and basic service delivery, and faces a bleak prospect of sustainability due to
absence of broad societal consensus and participation during its inception and poor grassroots
support during its implementation.
Key words: Decentralization, Devolution, Local governance, Good governance, Local Development,
Empowerment, Participation.
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Keywords
Decentralization, Devolution, Local governance, Good governance, Local Development, Empowerment, Participation.