Challenges Facing Community Management of Rural Water Supply: The Case of Ohangwena Region, Namibia

by Nespect Salom and Prudence Khumalo Abstract This study investigated the critical success factors for the community management of rural water supplies in the Ohangwena Region, Namibia. Rural communities in Namibia receive water through the Community Based Management (CBM) strategy, which necessitates water governance decentralization, thereby enabling local communities to participate in the management of […]

To Be or Not to Be: Rethinking the Possible Repercussions of Somaliland’s International Statehood Recognition

by Nikola Pijovic Abstract After the fall of President Siyad Barre in 1991, the northern region of what used to constitute Somalia declared independence from the rest of the country as the Republic of Somaliland. Although Somaliland is not internationally recognized as a sovereign state, it has survived for over two decades and currently constitutes […]

Between neglect and control: Questioning partnerships and the integration of informal actors in public solid waste management in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

by Axel Baudouin, Camilla Bjerkli, Yirgalem Habtemariam, & Zelalem Fenta Chekole Abstract The paper addresses the long-standing role of informal actors in solid waste management in Addis Ababa. Large numbers of people make a living through scavenging, waste collection and recycling. The varied and shifting relations between these actors and the local authorities are examined. For […]

The Autonomous Development Fund Model: A Reply to Olatunde Ojo

by Goran Hyden Professor Olatunde Ojo has provided a critique of my article on the role that autonomous development funds (ADFs) may play in reforming foreign aid, particularly in Africa (African Studies Quarterly Volume 2, No 2). I am grateful for the interest that he and his colleague at the University of Montana, Professor Peter […]

Development Fund Model

by Goran Hyden Introduction* The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel proposal for how foreign aid can be made more productive in the current context of sub-Saharan Africa. The basic assumption is that foreign aid must be adapted to the specific challenges in these countries: high levels of external dependency; weak public […]

Decentralization, Local Governance and the Democratic Transition in Southern Africa: A Comparative Analysis

by James S. Wunsch Introduction What factors are required for viable, democratic, local governments in Africa? This is an important question for several reasons. First, in an era of continuing economic problems and structural adjustment, national governments have been forced to reduce the services they provide. While the private sector may pick-up some of these, […]

Governance, Wealth Creation and Development in Africa: The Challenges and the Prospects

by John Mukum Mbaku Abstract Available evidence shows that human conditions in most African countries have deteriorated significantly in recent years. In fact, since many African countries began to gain independence in the 1960s, the standard of living for most Africans has either not improved or has done so only marginally. The general consensus among […]

Achieving Human Rights in Africa: The Challenge for the New Millennium

by Paul J. Magnarella Introduction Fifty-one years after the United Nations adopted the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and almost nineteen years after the Organization of African Unity (OAU) adopted its own African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the human rights situation on the African continent is decidedly bleak. Indeed, achieving genuine respect […]

Allocation of Governmental Authority and Responsibility in Tiered Governance Regimes: The Case of the Chivi Rural District Council Landuse Planning and Conservation By-Laws

by Alois Mandondo Abstract The proper alignment of authority and responsibility within and between various levels of social organization is a fundamental governance problem. This study uses a review approach to critically interrogate the political economy of the allocation of environmental jurisdictions between the state, local communities and Rural District Councils in Zimbabwe. Rural District […]

Participatory Natural Resource Management in the Communal Lands of Zimbabwe: What Role for Customary Law?

by Jennifer Mohamed-Katerere Abstract A widely held assumption about environmental management is that its success is dependent upon its relationship to the political process. This is expressed in the emerging but as yet inadequately defined concept of “environmental governance.” A recurring issue, in practice and in the literature, is the value and role of traditional […]

African Studies Quarterly

Tag: Governance