Alternative Service Delivery in Africa: The Case for International Regional Organisations

Alternative service delivery (ASD) is generally confined to the provision opublic services within the boundaries of a single nation state. This paper extends thisconceptualization and practice beyond a single nation state by focusing on services provided by international regional organizations (IROs), which encompass more than a single country. Recognizing that the regional approach may not be suitable under all circumstances, the papertakes a contingency approach and discusses with illustrations the conditions under which the regional or continental approaches may provide superior public services to the wider population. Three examples from the East African Community (EAC), Africa’s riparian river basins, and cross-border illicit trade of conflict minerals in the Great Lakes region are given as illustrative cases. Noting that Africa’s growing aspirations for inclusive development and rapid transformation call for better governance and quality public services, the paper ends by calling for more scholarly work and field experiments on ASD and other models applicable at local, national, regional and continental levels.