Assessment on Performance of Good governance in Land Administration at Local Level: The Case of Naeder Adet Woreda, Tigiray Region, Ethiopia

The role of good governance in local development is worth mentioning. Local governments that achieved better transparency, accountability and responsiveness are likely to bring development than their counterparts. This study deals with the performance of good governance in Naeder Adet woreda of Tigiray Regional State. It assesses the performance of good governance in land administration mainly after the GTP period. Specifically, the study assessed the performance of good governance from the perspective of transparency, accountability and responsiveness. Besides, the study figured out factors that inhibit the performance of good governance in the land administration. The study was conducted by using 182 household heads that were selected via convenience sampling. Furthermore, focused group discussion, interview, secondary data was used to gather relevant data. The study finding indicates that the performance of the woreda land administration pertaining to transparency is at its infancy stage. With regard to accountability, the woreda land administration has installed both formal and informal accountability mechanisms where administrative accountability could be ensured. In spite of that, the practicability of these accountability mechanisms and tools in the land administration is in its early stage. There is the dearth of downward accountability. Furthermore, the performance of responsiveness was also found dissatisfactory. Finally, despite the agenda of good governance in the woreda seems getting a due emphasis, the overall performance was found low, which makes it difficult to conclude that there is significant change contrary to the expectation hoped to be realized after GTP period. In this regard, the prime factors that inhibit the performance of good governance in the land administration of the woreda were found, among others ,corruption, weak public education, weak monitoring and evaluation system, low implementation capacity, low participation and low coordination among stake holders, low incentives. Thus, if good land governance is to be ensured the woreda government should work on tackling the above bottlenecks by setting clear guidelines and service standards, empowering civic engagement on monitoring and evaluating service delivery process, providing adequate trainings and incentives to land committees and local councils and setting code of conduct to the land administrators. Key words: Good governance, transparency, accountability, responsiveness, land administration