Practices and Challenges of Good Governance in Urban Land Management in Adama Town, Ethiopia

Good governance has been one of the main pillars of sustainable urban development. The features of good governance include transparency, accountability, participation, efficiency, and the rule of law, which are vital to effective public service delivery. This paper aims to evaluate the practices and challenges of good governance in urban land management in the study area. To accomplish this objective, the study has used a mixed research approach and a cross-sectional research design. A questionnaire was distributed to 368 randomly selected respondents across four kebeles. In addition, eight participants were enlisted for four focus group discussions, and 15 key informants were interviewed. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed through narrative analysis. The results of the study indicate that poor and inefficient practice of good governance in urban land management is based on the four principles chosen for the study, including equity and inclusiveness, consensus-orientation, effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability within the study area. This study also identified institutional and socio-economic issues related to good governance in urban land management. The study suggests establishing a transparent, participatory, and accountable land management system, along with structural reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of land service delivery in the study area.