The 4th African School on Decentralisation (ASD) 2024
Background
The fourth African School on Decentralisation, a two-week international postgraduate certificate programme, jointly offered by the Dullah Omar Institute and the Centre for Federal Studies of Addis Ababa University, was held in Cape Town and Stellenbosch from 14 to 26 October 2024.
The ASD 2024 theme was “Decentralisation and Human Rights”. The objective was to unpack and understand how decentralisation can promote and contribute to the realisation of human rights on the African continent. The 2024 course received a total of 373 applications. These were drawn from 27 African countries and 4 countries outside Africa. Out of these, a total of 24 participants were selected from 15 African countries.
Course content, delivery & activities
The ASD trained participants on basic concepts of decentralisation and human rights, linking them with the practices in African countries from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. The participants took part in interactive panel discussions, lectures, debates and case studies. Participants watched a documentary titled "Mother City," which explores the role of the city governments in dealing with the housing crisis in Cape Town. To better understand the lived experiences of those affected by this issue, the participants also visited the Ndifuna Ukwazi Law Centre and the Ahmed Kathrada House Occupation. During the site visit, they learned more about the housing crisis facing the city.
Overall, the programme focused on disseminating knowledge regarding the numerous aspects of decentralisation and human rights in Africa. It aimed to enhance understanding, generate research outputs, foster policy innovation, and promote good governance across the continent.
Participants were continuously evaluated through web-based tests, individual and group assignments, and presentations. At the end of the course, a general assessment was administered, and a postgraduate certificate was issued to the participants who passed. The School also included social events such as a welcome cocktail, a pub quiz, a sports day, and a farewell dinner at the end.
This training was made possible through financial support from the Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA) and South Africa's National Research Foundation via the South African Research Chair (SARChi) in Multilevel Government, which is based at the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of the ASD organisers. It does not necessarily reflect the views of LPSA or the NRF.
Participants
The training participants consisted of government employees at local, regional, and national levels, postgraduate researchers, staff from local and international NGOs and civil society organizations, along with other individuals interested in decentralisation in Africa. There were 24 participants in total (9 males and 15 females) from 15 African countries.
Opening session
The opening session was addressed by Prof Tyrone Pretorius, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Prof Jacques De Ville (Dean, Faculty of Law, UWC), Prof Lukas Muntingh (Director of the DOI), Dr Ketema Wakjira (Director, Centre for Federal Studies (Virtual), Prof Zemelak Ayele, CFGS and Dr Jamie Boex (Executive Director, Local Public Sector Alliance (LPSA).
The rest of the course was presented by scholars and practitioners who were invited from different universities, research institutions, companies, government departments and civil society organisations. They brought tremendous wisdom, experience and energy to the group. Below is an overview of the course facilitators and presenters.
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Prof Jaap de Visser |
Chair in Multilevel Government Law, University of Western Cape (UWC) |
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Prof Tinashe Chigwata |
Associate Professor and Head of Multilevel Government at the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI), University of Western Cape (UWC) |
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Prof Zemelak Ayele |
Associate Professor, Center of Federalism and Governance, Addis Ababa University (AAU) |
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Dr Henry Paul Gichana |
Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and Devolution & Research Lead at Katiba Institute |
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Dr Johandri Wright |
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dullah Omar Institute (UWC) |
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Prof Yonatan Fessha |
Research Chair on constitutional design in divided societies at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). |
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Prof Robert Nanima |
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of the Western Cape |
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Lady Justice Jacqueline Mogeni |
Environment and Land Court Judge, Nairobi, Kenya |
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Judge Vincent Saldanha |
Judge of the High Court, Western Cape Division (RSA) |
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Adv Sandra Makoasha |
Commissioner, South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) |
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Mrs Annette May |
Urban Land Policy Researcher at Isandla Institute |
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Dr Shehaam Johnstone |
State Law Advisor, Western Cape Government |
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Prof Nara Monkam |
Chair in Municipal Finance at the African Tax Institute, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of Pretoria |
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Dr Michelle Maziwisa |
Programme Manager: LLM HRDA, University of Pretoria |
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Ms Janelle Mangwanda |
Researcher at the African Criminal Justice Reform, Dullah Omar Institute |
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Mrs Thabile Chonco-Spambo |
Doctoral Researcher at Dullah Omar Institute, and NGAP lecturer within the Department of Public Law, UWC |
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Mr Curtly Stevens |
Doctoral Researcher at the Dullah Omar Institute |
Evaluation
A survey conducted among the participants revealed that 80% of them strongly agreed that the instructors were well-prepared for class. Additionally, 11 out of 17 respondents strongly agreed that the instructional materials effectively enhanced their knowledge and skills on the subject matter. Moreover, 15 out of 17 respondents fully agreed that the content learned during the course was beneficial for their professional development. The survey and subsequent interactions with the participants provided valuable feedback, allowing them to suggest topics for future editions of the course, highlight aspects they found unsatisfactory, and propose alumni activities for ongoing engagement.
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