Factors affecting Last Mile Delivery of Emergency responses: A Study on Selected Humanitarian Organizations in Ethiopia
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Date
2024-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study sought to examine factors affecting the last-mile delivery of emergency responses in the case of selected humanitarian organizations based in Ethiopia. An explanatory research design with a quantitative approach was applied to address the objective. The employees of governmental, international, and local non-governmental aid organizations were considered the study population. The survey was conducted on a total of 192 respondents comprising executive directors, program officers, project managers, supply managers, and logistics coordinators. These sample respondents were selected using a mixed sampling technique, a combination of judgment, and stratified random sampling methods. The primary data were collected by a self-administered standardized questionnaire and analyzed using a multiple linear regression model with the help of SPSS 22.0. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to interpret the findings. The results show that all five factors are institutional competency, government policy, socio-cultural orientation, infrastructural facility, and stakeholder accountability. The result revealed that the five factors positively and significantly contribute to the effectiveness of the last-mile delivery operation in distressed areas in Ethiopia. More specifically, accessibility of infrastructural facilities followed by flexibility of government (both federal and regional state governments) policy and competency of aid institutions had the highest effect. While the accountability of stakeholders shows relatively moderate influence, the diversity of beneficiaries’ socio-cultural orientation has the least effect on last-mile delivery. Despite last-mile delivery of emergency responses at prone areas being subjected to multifaceted issues, institutional competency, government policy, socio-cultural orientation, infrastructural facility, and stakeholder accountability factors are good predictors. It is important for humanitarian aid organizations to invest in improving transportation networks, warehousing facilities, and communication systems while the government strives to create a conducive regulatory environment that supports them in their relief operation.
Key words: Accountability, Competency, Cultural, Infrastructural, Logistics, Last-Mile Delivery