Implementation status and determinants of the regional development plan in Ethiopia’s emerging regions: the case of the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional Development Plan (2010–2023)

Although the Benishangul Gumuz Regional State (BGRS) has been implementing regional development plans for decades, it remains underdeveloped. This research aims to examine the status of regional development plan implementation and its determinant factors in Benishangul Gumuz, Ethiopia. Data were collected using a multistage, stratified sampling method. Cross-sectional surveys of 365 civil servants were integrated with phenomenological interviews. Key findings indicate that only 30.0% of regional development plans were successfully implemented, with agriculture achieving high success (75.3%). Logistic regression showed that poor infrastructure was associated with 10.51 times higher odds of plan implementation failure, and inadequate finance allocation was associated with 7.92 times higher odds of failure. Lack of stakeholder participation, political instability, and weak innovative capacity were associated with 7.50, 2.46, and 6.90 times higher odds of failure, respectively. More than 85% of budgets are being allocated to recurrent and politicized leadership recruitment, and appointments have drained institutional capacity. These patterns reflect accountability gaps, recruitment imbalances, and budgetary gaps that underlie the under-implementation of regional development plans. Within the BGRS context, Policy reform should institutionalize stakeholder engagement, prioritize budgeting capital spending, and support industry innovation centers. Establishing corruption-control mechanisms (by the Regional Public Service and Human Resource Bureau, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission as an immediate priority), urgently stabilizing political instability (through the Regional Cabinet and Civil Service Commission), and creating space for the implementation of participatory plans (led by the Regional Administration and Sector Bureaus) may serve as important strategies for curbing these challenges.