Regional Workshop on Participatory Budgeting in Africa,
6 - 8 March in Harare

Press release | Aide Memoire Here | Workshop Program | Communiqué | Workshop in Pictures | Workshop Report

The Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa (MDP-ESA) with financial support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) hosted a regional workshop on participatory budgeting in Africa which was held from the 6 th -8 th of March 2007 in Harare, Zimbabwe. This workshop was meant to act as a launch pad for MDP-ESA's larger programme on the application and training of Participatory Budgeting initiatives in Africa to assist local governments in enhancing good governance and improving service delivery. It also provided a further opportunity to relate participatory budgeting to concepts of good governance, transparency, and accountability.

The Workshop was attended by central and local government practitioners, parliamentarians, the media and civil society representatives as well as individuals from training and research institutions from Europe , Latin America and the African region. These participants were drawn from Ethiopia , Ecuador , Kenya , Malawi , Mozambique , South Africa , Rwanda , Tanzania , UK , Uganda , Zambia and Zimbabwe .

The overall capacity building objective of this workshop was to share with participants the emerging participatory budgeting practices in Africa as a strategy for deepening local democracy and enhancing the quality of decentralised governance in Africa . The communiqué, workshop presentations and the draft proceedings report are contained in this section.

1. Overall Objectives of the Workshop
   
   The overall purpose of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for local government officials and managers of public services, CBOs, and NGOs, and capacity building institutions to review and exchange experiences on emerging experiences and lessons in the application of participatory budgeting in a bid to effectively respond to the challenges of development and service provision at
   local levels and identify ways of strengthening the practice.
   
   
   Specific Objectives
   
   The workshop’s specific objectives were:
   
   • To highlight the importance of civic participation in sub national budgeting as one of the key Social Accountability tool;
     
   • To identify the key constraints and challenges associated with civic participation in sub national budgeting in Africa;
     
   • To review the necessary capacity building needs in both participatory governance and budgeting in Africa; and
     
   • To come up with an action plan and then identify a few selected municipalities for piloting participatory budgeting.

In pursuit of the above objectives, participants addressed questions such as:

• What are the pre-conditions for the successful introduction and practice of participatory governance at local level?
  
• How can such conditions be created and sustained?
  
• What are the challenges and constraints that are facing the introduction and practice of participatory local governance at the local level and how can such challenges be overcome?
  
• What institutional, regulatory frameworks and structural arrangements must be established not only to establish the practice of participation but also to sustain it at local level?
  
• What are the capacities that must be built, developed and strengthened in order for participatory local level development planning and budgeting to be introduced, practiced successfully and sustained?
  
• How and by whom should this capacity building be done?
  
• Are there cases of participatory governance, participatory development planning and budgeting at local level in Africa or elsewhere that can serve as lessons for introducing and practicing participatory planning and budgeting at local level?

2. Country presentations
   
   Ethiopia | Mocambique | Rwanda | South Africa | Uganda | UCAZ - Zimbabwe | Zambia
   
   
3. Presentation by the MDP-ESA Director
   
   Challenges and Constraints influencing the Introduction of Participatory Budgeting as a Tool for Realizing Good Governance in Africa
   
   
4. Presentation by the representative of CIGU
   
   
5. Presentation by Thandiwe Mlobane - Zimbabwe
   
   
6. Group report back presentations

 

The Workshop in Pictures

The Mayor of Dondo Municipality in Mocambique delivering his presentation

George Matovu Executive Director of MDPESA with some of the participants
during a session at the PB Workshop

Vivian Chikoti of Zambia explains a concept during the group sessions

George Matovu buys from a market stall constructed through
Participatory Budgeting in Ruwa, Zimbabwe

Thandiwe Mlobane with the South African delegation listening to a presentation

Fidele Ndayisaba of Rwanda receives his certificate at the end of the workshop

The Mozambican delegation to the PB Workshop

Patrick Kyamukaate Mutabwire,
Commissioner, Ministry of Local Government, Uganda making his presentation