The Nature of Community Empowerment in Local Governance: The Case of Selected Amhara Regional State Zones

The study sought to explore the nature of community empowerment in holding local councils accountable. The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. Three Zones, namely Central Gondar, Wag Hemra, and South Wollo, were selected as study areas. From these three Zones, five woredas were selected. Two kebeles were selected purposively from each sample Woreda. Accordingly, 10 study kebeles were selected. A total of 269 samples from the community have been incorporated into the survey. Primary data were collected through survey, key informant interview, fgd , and in-depth interview techniques. The study used thematic analysis technique for the qualitative data and descriptive analysis for the quantitative data. The results show that the level of community empowerment in holding council members accountable for their needs and priorities is low. Local people have little say in their local affairs. Currently, the council members are serving their second term without local elections. Hence, Some Kebeles and Woredas do not have representatives in the local councils.