Sierra Leone - The Role of the Rapid Results Approach in Decentralization and Strengthening Local Governance
Although Sierra Leone is endowed with rich natural resources, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. An eleven-year war over the period 1991-2002 destroyed the country's infrastructure and social fabric. The concentration of politica...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/04/6726095/sierra-leone-role-rapid-results-approach-decentralilzation-strengthening-local-governance http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9618 |
| Summary: | Although Sierra Leone is endowed with
rich natural resources, it is one of the poorest countries
in the world. An eleven-year war over the period 1991-2002
destroyed the country's infrastructure and social
fabric. The concentration of political power and public
resources in the capital city Freetown, and the
marginalization of the provinces were perceived as one of
the root causes of the war. In 2004, Sierra Leone ranked
bottom in the United Nations Human Development Indicators,
and 70 percent of the population is said to be under the
poverty line. To support the decentralization process,
following the Local Council Election of May-June 2004, the
councils were encouraged to adopt the Rapid Results Approach
(RRA), which became an important driver in building a
culture of performance, accountability and results. The
initial efforts have also unleashed implementation capacity
within the newly-created local councils that delivered
measurable improvements in public services over a short
period. The note further examines the first wave of rapid
results initiatives, scaling-up, and devolution, and,
stipulates that by adopting a structured process, based on a
few principles designed to unleash capacity, and empower
local teams, a favorable environment was created for
achieving results in a short period. |
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