Boosting Service Delivery through Strengthened Local Government Assessments: Insights from Uganda's LGMSD Framework

Abstract

In an era where efficient service delivery is paramount for the socio-economic development of regions, it is essential to explore effective mechanisms in improving local governance. This paper dissects the utilisation of the Local Government Management and Service Delivery (LGMSD) framework in Uganda as an innovative approach to enhancing service delivery at a local level. From 2014/15, the Ugandan government introduced the Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Reforms (IGFTR) to enhance the adequacy, equity, and efficiency of local government financing for improved service delivery. The paper investigates the application and impact of the LGMSD assessment as a critical component of the IGFTR, focusing on five primary areas: Crosscutting, Water and Environment, Education, Health, and Micro Scale Irrigation. The findings in this paper present how this assessment model has contributed to incentivising good administrative practice, resource management, accountability, and overall service delivery. The study demonstrates how the framework has been instrumental in identifying local government functional capacity gaps and needs for performance enhancement. A noteworthy highlight of the study is the exploration of the independent assessment and internal verification audit firms; role in evaluating the effectiveness of the LGMSD framework. The study concludes with an analysis of the lessons learned and proposed strategies to improve this approach, offering a comprehensive understanding of how to replicate and tailor the LGMSD model in similar contexts in Africa to enhance LG service delivery. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on improving governance and service delivery through enhanced monitoring and evaluation systems and provides insights for policymakers, M&E professionals, academics, and practitioners in local government administration and service delivery