Sustainable Local Development: Local Governance and Citizens Sense of Ownership in Local Governments of Addis Ababa

Abstract

A very significant factor, which deserves a keen vigilance in achieving sustainable development, is local institutions and their simultaneous contribution. As the level of government who are closest to the public, local governments contribute significantly by educating the public, mobilizing resources and controlling their use with the aim of long term and sustainable development. This research work investigated the relationship between good local governance, a community sense of ownership and sustainable development in local governments of Addis Ababa by assessing whether strategies, initiatives, and practices of local governments (Woredas) are moving towards sustainable development. The research also examined the state of community participation and ownership of local development and the implications for sustainability with the aim of providing recommendations based on the findings. For this purpose, data were collected from officials of the target Woreda1 as well as randomly selected residents. The research found out that the local governance system of the Woreda is not in line with the principles and practices of good governance, which is due to passive participation, weak transparency and accountability of local officials and top-down planning and decision-making process, which routinely neglects residents. These, in turn, have impacted the sense of community ownership in the Woreda which was found to be low. It was also found out that the sense of future in the community is weak which can be attributed to the poor sense of community ownership that emanates from lack of good governance. The research has forwarded recommendations based on these findings.