Decentralization in the Sahel: Regional Synthesis

Abstract

"Decentralization is a topical issue in the nine CILSS countries of the West African Sahel and the Cape Verde Islands. These countries, with the partial exceptions of the Gambia and Senegal, have operated for most of the last century under centralized political systems. Over the past fifteen years, however, the centralized model in CILSS countries has come under increasing criticism. It has worsened rather than helped to solve such fundamental problems as sustainable governance and management of renewable natural resources (the basis of the region's economy), and provision of basic levels of public services. Centralized political systems have slowed national economies and impeded more effective governance. Political reforms have become an issue of urgency. But which reforms?"