Ethiopia: Institutional Governance Review - Grassroots Empowerment Review of Progress and Prospects - Phase I (Draft Report)

Grassroots Empowerment (GE) must be seen as very long-term transformations of government, governance and community behaviour, of which only the first but important steps are underway. Thus far, Phase I Grassroots Empowerment Review (GER) indications are that the woreda governments have increased in scale and capacities, have more discretionary funds, and increasingly consult communities. Nonetheless, these innovations appear much too recent, and too limited, to assure the sustainable GE results being targeted, in terms of: Citizens' Voice, government and governance planning, budgeting and accountability. This document reports on the first of a planned two-phase review of progress on Grassroots Empowerment (GE), as demonstrated in four regional states of Ethiopia: Tigray, Amhara,Oromiya and the Southern Nations, as well as the Nationalities and Peoples State.