Table of Contents

Throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century, decentralization has been accepted in many African countries as a key feature of the public sector reform programme and associated with democratization and good governance. While there is no guarantee that greater decentralization will result in greater democracy and more economic development, there are great hopes that the process of decentralized planning and management will be more inclusive and participatory, and that it will take into account the needs of the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized groups. Decentralization has the potential to induce broader institutional changes, which benefit and empower the poor. The key emerging issues for decentralizing countries center on civic participation, participatory budgeting, local information, local accountability and local monitoring.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) works to help reduce poverty through local development programmes and microfinance operations. Its approach is to invest with the poor, building the productive capacity and the self-reliance of poor communities. In the area of local governance, UNCDF works in direct partnership with local authorities and community institutions, supporting programmes that promote a decentralized participatory approach to the provision of basic infrastructure and the management of natural resources, in order to ensure that local investments match local needs, are managed efficiently, are sustainable and impact on poverty reduction.

UNCDF – with the support of UNDP, the Government of Japan and the Ford Foundation – is proud to have sponsored this African symposium on decentralization and local governance in Cape Town, South Africa in March 2001. This workshop brought together more than 70 development professionals, practitioners, government representatives at senior policy levels and academics from around the world, including from more than 25 African countries to discuss and debate new approaches to reducing poverty through decentralization and improved local governance. The symposium was closely associated with New York University, the University of the Western Cape, and German Technical Cooperation.

The Symposium would not have been as successful without the invaluable contributions of time and energy of many key partners and colleagues. I would like to recognize the valuable contributions of all these partners, and that of all those who attended the Symposium. I also would like to thank the host country, the Government of South Africa for welcoming us to Cape Town.

I would like to single out for particular mention the participation of Ministers of Local Government Ousmane Sy (Mali), Brigadier Ngwilizi (Tanzania) and Jaberi Bidandi Ssali (Uganda), who took time out of their very busy schedules to join us in Cape Town.They did not just attend the event; they were active in the discussions and contributed much from their wealth of experience in local governance and decentralization.

From UNDP, although many supported this effort in different ways, I would like to thank Abdoulie Janneh, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa and John Ohiorhenuan, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for South Africa.

It will be obvious for all who read through these proceedings that a lot of work went into organizing, coordinating and managing the conference and its follow-up.Kadmiel Wekwete, Director of UNCDF’s Local Governance Unit, did a commendable job as conference coordinator, assisted by the tireless support of Paul Smoke of New York University and of several UNCDF colleagues.

The preparation involved a lot of substantive research to prepare the papers that formed the basis for the discussions at Cape Town. This work started more than a year earlier. Recognition and appreciation go out to Professors Remy Prud'homme of the Université de Paris, Albertus H.J. Helmsing and Claudius B. Olowu of Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Larry Schroeder of Syracuse University and Dr. Jesse Ribot of the World Resources Institute.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to Chris Tapscott and his colleagues at the University of the Western Cape, School of Government, for coordinating the logistics, preparing these proceedings and co-hosting the Symposium.

The Symposium was organized in the spirit of a series of global and regional conferences over the past decade, including the World Summit on Social Development (1995) and the Millennium Summit 2000, which have all pointed in the direction of strengthening decentralization and supporting local governance as key tools in poverty reduction.

In spite of the enthusiasm generated by decentralization, many countries still confront major challenges when it comes to the design and implementation of concrete programmes of action at the local level. These concerns call for a more in-depth review of some key thematic issues, which formed the substantive core of the Cape Town Symposium.

This report highlights some of the main conclusions that emerged out of the very fruitful group discussions that took place around these key themes over a four day period. I would like to recognize the key recommendations that emerged. These included furthering the sharing of lessons, networking and supporting further action research on decentralization and local governance. UNCDF will continue in its present and future work plans to reflect on the key concerns that emerged out of the Cape Town Symposium.

Normand Lauzon
Executive Secretary,
United Nations Capital Development Fund

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