Local Economic Development in Ethiopia: Policy and Practice

Abstract

Even though the current government of Ethiopia has enacted and implemented various pro-LED policies and started the actual exercise of LED in selected localities since 2009, little scholarly attention has been devoted to the policy and practice of LED in the country. The study fills this gap and contributes to the debates and evidence of local economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) based on data obtained through key informants interviews and systematic review of extant literature and documentary sources on the policies and practices of LED in Ethiopia. The result of the study reveals that much work is needed to institutionalize LED practice in the country. The study also highlights that to institutionalize and sustain LED practice in the country, well-articulated LED framework and permanent LED institutions that are well integrated with the overall local government structure are needed.