Constitutional Entrenchment of Decentralization in Africa: An Overview of Trends and Tendencies

The prominent place given to decentralization in the design of post-1990 African constitutions has been likened to a silent revolution. This is not surprising, for sharing power has been anathema to post-independence African leaders, who have striven to personalize power and concentrate it within a privileged clique in the capital city. This article assesses the nature and significance of the increasing trend in Africa towards constitutional entrenchment of decentralized forms of government. It examines the concept of decentralization and its manifestations in contemporary African constitutional design. It provides an overview of the extent of the constitutional entrenchment of decentralization in African practice, and then considers the rationale for, and possible implications of, this process. From an analysis and comparison of emerging trends, it argues that only a formally and constitutionally entrenched decentralization framework can ensure that the process is effectively implemented and is not dependent on the goodwill of the central government.