| Over the years, studies on implementation have evolved in terms of contents, methodologies, and empirical investigations. Top-down and bottom-up approaches have been substituted by synthetic approaches emphasizing the various factors influencing implementation and their interactions, such as consistent goals, adequate resources, communication, socio-economic conditions, etc. However as a general rule, empirical implementation studies involving statistical analysis of the relevant data are not very common.;This study identifies from the literature several important variables that seem to influence the rate of implementation. The study then employs a statistical model to evaluate the effects of these variables on the rate of implementation with data from one hundred and five (105) externally assisted development projects selected from seventeen (17) African countries.;The statistical model employed is the multinominal logistic regression model in which the dependent variable is the rate of implementation classified into four categories as per the World Bank. These four categories are: highly unsatisfactory, unsatisfactory, satisfactory, and highly satisfactory. The independent variables are: project size, years of implementation, number of implementing agencies, clarity of objectives, proportion of funding from abroad, political conditions and per capita GDP. The multinominal logistic regression model is estimated by utilizing cross-sectional data.;The study finds that project size, clarity of objectives, proportion of external funding, and political conditions are significant determinants of the rate of implementation. Project size and clarity of objectives are negatively related to the rate of implementation, while the proportion of external funding and political conditions display positive relationships. Years of implementation, number of implementing agencies and per capita GDP do not seem to influence implementation. The study explores these results to some degree and offers some intuitive explanations.;This research suggests some policy implications for the African countries. First, to accelerate implementation of externally funded projects, countries should try to secure more funding and improve political conditions surrounding the projects. Second, countries should be careful about the sizes of the projects so that they do not adversely affect the rate of implementation. Third, although years of implementation and the number of implementing agencies do not seem to influence implementation, countries should be careful about limiting both the years and the numbers of implementing agencies. Finally, although this study does not directly address the issues, I recommend adequate monitoring of projects throughout the implementation period, and the education of people involved about the benefits of the adopted projects.;This study is very relevant for the following reasons: i) there is limited research on implementation studies in Africa; ii) the study will contribute to the literature on quantitative studies in implementation, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa; and iii) the findings from this study will guide policymakers in their decision-making on choosing appropriate implementation strategies to ensure the efficient use of resources. |
