Integrating Innovation into Municipal Service Delivery

This policy note highlights the critical role of innovation in improving municipal service delivery in South Africa (PDF, 238MB). It is based on the Viability and Validation of Innovation for Service Delivery Programme (VVISDP) that is implemented by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation in partnership with SALGA and CoGTA, and funded by the European Union and National Treasury. The policy note explores the current service delivery and regulatory context, identifies key barriers such as policy constraints, limited resources, skills gaps, and governance challenges, and proposes interventions to address them. It recommends enabling local innovation ecosystems, reducing institutional barriers, strengthening municipal capacity, advancing inclusive innovation, and embedding innovation through monitoring, evaluation, and scaling. The overall aim is to create an enabling policy environment that supports the adoption and institutionalisation of innovative solutions to transform basic service delivery.

Abstract based on original source.