During the latest edition of the « Grandes Rencontres de l’ENA », the National School of Administration hosted a dynamic debate on Friday afternoon, May 29, centered on a pressing national issue: the role of provincial councils in fostering local development through decentralization. The event, led by Senator and former Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacké, drew a packed audience of students, civil servants in training, administrators, and political figures.
With decades of experience in governance—having served twice as Prime Minister, as a senator, and as a trained civil administrator—Pahimi Padacké delivered a compelling and structured presentation. His speech resonated with attendees as he framed decentralization not just as a policy choice, but as a critical pathway to equitable progress across Chad’s provinces.
From historical momentum to constitutional foundations
The discussion opened with a deep dive into the origins of Chad’s decentralization journey. Pahimi Padacké traced its roots to the 1993 Sovereign National Conference, a pivotal moment when civic leaders pushed for a decentralized unitary state. This vision was later enshrined in the 1996 Constitution and reaffirmed in subsequent legal texts, including the 2023 Constitution of the Fifth Republic.
Key legislative milestones were highlighted, including Organic Law No. 14 (2024) on the status of autonomous local authorities and Organic Law No. 28 (2024) on the division of responsibilities between the central government and local entities. These laws formalized the transfer of critical competencies to provincial councils, though their full implementation still requires detailed operational directives.
Bottlenecks holding back progress
The former head of government acknowledged the progress but didn’t shy away from identifying persistent challenges. Among the hurdles: delays in transferring financial and human resources, limited technical and administrative capacities within provincial councils, governance inefficiencies, and coordination gaps between deconcentrated state services and locally elected bodies.
Pahimi Padacké emphasized that while the legal framework now supports decentralization, translating it into tangible outcomes demands urgent action. He stressed the need to accelerate the actual disbursement of allocated funds—such as oil and tax revenue shares—to provincial councils, alongside targeted capacity-building for elected officials and administrative staff.
Toward a decentralization that works for citizens
The closing remarks outlined a roadmap for meaningful change. Proposed solutions included strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, fostering greater collaboration with civil society and development partners, and strictly adhering to the principle of subsidiarity—ensuring decisions are made at the level closest to the people, as outlined in Article 271 of the Constitution.
In a final appeal to the next generation of administrators, Pahimi Padacké underscored that the success of decentralization is inseparable from Chad’s balanced development and the need to bring governance closer to communities. « The future of our nation depends on how effectively we empower our provinces to lead local transformation, » he concluded.
