How can Southern Africa – one of the world’s poorest and least-developed regions – achieve the broad economic and social objectives to which its people aspire? While there is no single answer to this question, part of the solution lies in building up the basic infrastructure required for growing economies and expanding cities throughout the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Municipalities are no longer just revenue-generating entities: they are essential public institutions that provide good governance and deliver services. Our cities are responsible for providing many of the basic services essential to modern life and health, from water and electricity distribution to sanitation, transport and the upkeep of local roads. Yet we cannot provide such services without the ability to fund them on a sustainable basis, and that challenge is the subject of this publication.

Securing municipal finance in Southern Africa [pdf, 1.67MB]