it begins with an assessment of the main challenges of the current system of intergovernmental relations and offers possible alternatives to improve coordination across levels of government and among national policy actors it also explores local government finance and the way the current arrangements for managing local public finance act in detriment of urban development it formulates some recommendations to ensure that local governments have access to resources to pay for urbanisation the chapter proposes some recommendations for strengthening civil service reform with a particular focus on subnational levels of government