Support for local governance processes

Programme description

Title: Support for local governance processes
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Tanzania
Lead executing agency: Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG)
Overall term: 2007 to 2014

Context

For several years the Tanzanian Government has been reforming central areas of its operations, pursuing a policy of decentralisation. Since the reform began, although it has proved possible to strengthen the capacities of local governmental and administrative bodies, the processes are time-consuming, complex and influenced by a variety of interests. Advances have been achieved in the reform of national structures and on procedural reforms. Shortcomings continue to exist in the way newly defined roles are performed. Causes of this include:

  • lack of qualified staff,
  • insufficient legal security for decentralisation in the constitution and laws,
  • unsatisfactory tools for the people to demand governmental performance and accountability,
  • inadequate financing of the municipalities.

Broad sections of the population are unfamiliar with the tasks assigned to the communities in a decentralised governmental and administrative system. Citizens, especially those in rural areas, rarely get involved in projects for their own social and economic development. The communities do not yet sufficiently make use of opportunities that accompany the progressive implementation of decentralisation to promote local development.

Objective

People have access to local services which meet their needs due to citizen participation. Good governance takes place at local level in a secure legal framework.

Approach

The programme is in line with the national reform programme, and it supports the decentralisation process:

  • in harmonising the legal framework,
  • in improving local authority revenues and budgeting,
  • in processes of good local governance, including transparent budgeting and reporting.

The competencies necessary for carrying out reforms are being strengthened in the partner ministry, in its regional structures and at local level.

Support for the harmonisation of the legal framework takes the form of strategic advice given to the relevant inter-ministerial working group, as well as capacity building for the relevant specialist staff.

To regulate their affairs, the communities receive support for formulating new by-laws. Improvement of public revenue at local level is being promoted by increasing the effectiveness of tax collection, especially taxes on buildings. In support of local finances, the sub-contractor GFA Consulting Group is developing a system for the integrated management of local revenue collection, which will make the levying and administration of various taxes more efficient and transparent. The transparency of local budgeting and reporting is encouraged at both district and village levels. Working together with civil society organisations, instruments are being introduced which enable people to demand state accountability. One example of this is the participatory processes used for monitoring public spending.

Results achieved so far

Harmonisation of the legal framework has made uneven progress. A new version of the law on local government finance is about to be passed by the parliament. Two important laws on the functions of local authorities are presently under revision.

In local authorities that receive assistance from the programme, public revenues have considerably improved, which is expanding the scope for local service provision.

Support for the municipal budgetary system has made it possible for budgets and expenditures to be transparent and accountable to the public.

Additional information