Achieving Better Service Delivery Through Decentralisation in Ethiopia

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Achieving Better Service Delivery Through
Decentralisation in Ethiopia

• Marito Garcia
• Andrew Sunil Rajkumar.
• Foluso Okunmadewa

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1. Background

• Ethiopia decentralised to Regions in 1994 and to
  woredas in 2002/03.
• Made significant improvement in Human Development
  indicators (health and education) in the past 15
  years.
• .decentralisation appears to have contributed to
  improvement in service delivery.

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The HD Outcome Changes

• School Enrolment rates increased substantially.
• 1995 29
• 2004 77
• No. of primary schools rose steadily over the
  last 40 years with a recent significant
  acceleration since 2004.
• Coverage of health services also increased (less
  than Educ.)- Per capital visits to health
  facilities increased from 0.3 in 1993 to 0.4 in
  2005. DPT immunisation increased from 46 in 1995
  to 60 in 2005 , 80 now immunised against Polio
• Access to safe drinking water also improved
  -19.1 in 1996 to 35.9 in 2004.
• Access to improved sanitation rose from 13.0 in
  1996 to 30.6 in 2004

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Was Decentralisation Responsible?

• Yes
• Decentralisation lead to increased spending on HD
  service delivery.
• Decentralization was pro-poor - higher budget
  increase for education per student for the more
  remote, pastoral and food-insecure woredas.
• Behaviour of Teachers/Staff/doctor and Quality of
  Teaching and Time taken for service improved
  significantly during period.
• Local solutions were more frequently used, Plans
  drafted and approved locally, Participatory
  budget process were used. Partnership between
  tiers of Government.
• Beneficiary satisfaction improved and families
  therefore increased consumption/investment in
  human capital.

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..But weaknesses in the system threatens
achievement of MDGs.

• Even though service delivery has changes and HD
  indicators improving, MDGs would not be
  achieved..
• Why?
• Woreda needs more investment/capital funds.
• Capacity is still an issue at Woreda level
• More clarity on the partnership arrangements
  between tiers of government
• Citizens enforcement of accountability of
  services providers is still weak
• Opportunity cost is high.

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Policy recommendations

• Use a tax-based, and revenue sharing mechanism to
  provide incentives for Woreda to expand and
  diversify revenue base.
• Use unit cost, or other need-based approach for
  intergovernmental transfer.
• Address local government capacity issue.
• Improve capacity and incentives of frontline
  providers ( teachers, health staff etc.)

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Thank you