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AFRICA
Africa’s urban growth rate is unprecedented in its history, and its future, like that of the rest of the world, is urban. Between now and 2050, its urban population will increase threefold, from around 400 million people to around 1.2 billion. This demographic shift means, among other things, a huge challenge for local governments in the area of basic service provision. While efforts are being made to respond to the rapid growth of the urban population, changes have been neither sufficient, nor fast enough. For the vast number of residents in informal settlements (where most of this urban growth is taking place) in particular, improving health, welfare, education and empowerment for women are all dependent on improving access to water, sanitation, waste collection, energy and transport services. Basic services are local by nature – serving local people, responding to local conditions, dependent on local infrastructure. They should, from a practical perspective, be entirely, or at least partially, the concern of local authorities. The extent to which local governments are responsible for the governance of network basic services in Africa is the main focus of this chapter.
Institutional framework Definition of roles and responsibilities in basic service provision African states are still young in institutional terms, and efforts to adapt colonial structures and institutions to the social, economic and cultural realities of the continent are a relatively recent phenomenon. The adoption of democratic political systems and political decentralization are giving birth to new arrangements, with authority vested in both central and local governments, and permitting the emergence of new stakeholders such as civil society organizations, the private sector and community groups. Local governments play a particular role as the authority closest to the people. However, there is enormous variability across Africa in the capacity of local governments, and the partial commitment to decentralization by most national governments has impeded the improvement of service delivery. Role of central governments In all countries, the central government takes charge of the upstream production and generation of services and the linking of production to consumption areas. It also develops the overarching legislation and