Ethiopia, Social Accountability Program 3

The overall objective of ESAP3 is to strengthen Social Accountability (SA) mechanisms for enhanced service delivery in Ethiopia. Social Accountability refers to citizens holding service providers and local governments accountable for service delivery. Through dialogue and feedback loops between basic service users and service providers, joint action plans are developed to enhance the quality and accessibility of services. The five basic service sectors are Education, Health, Rural Roads, Agriculture and Water and Sanitation (WASH). ESAP3 is linked to the Enhancing Shared Prosperity Through Equitable Services (ESPES) Program of the Government of Ethiopia.

ESAP3 works in 416 woredas (local governments) in Ethiopia across all regions. A Management Agency (MA) in Addis Ababa is responsible for managing a grant scheme for 43 clusters of more than 70 different Ethiopian CSO’s (IPs, implementing partners) that implement the social accountability cycle in these woredas and expand into kebele’s (sub-level under woreda). The MA is furthermore responsible for capacitating the CSO’s, to monitor and evaluate outcomes and ensure adequate financial management. ESAP3 has adopted a strategy of digitalized process monitoring. Finally ESAP3 has assisted GoE / Ministry of Finance in institutionalizing SA into government systems.

The programme has five main outcomes:

Outcome 1: Increased Awareness around Social Accountability and Citizen Mobilization

IP’s provide education and communication to citizens on the service standards adopted by the Government of Ethiopia, their entitlements and the nature of the SA process. IP’s mobilize citizens and local citizens’ interest groups to participate in the Social Accountability process. Next to visits and training, social media and radio are used as tools.

Outcome 2: Services are Assessed by Citizens

Social Accountability tools such as the Citizen Report Card are used by citizens to express their priorities in service delivery and their assessment of the accessibility and quality of services. ESAP3 has adopted the Kobo toolbox coupled with mobile phone technology to conduct household surveys. The survey data are real-time presented on a Power BI empowered dashboard that enables data drive decision making by Woreda councils.

Outcome 3: Citizens and service providers agree on a Joint Action Plan (JAP) for service improvements

At woreda and kebele level Interface meetings between citizens and service providers are organised and JAP formulated

Outcome 4: JAPs are aligned with woreda planning and budgeting processes

Ultimately SA outcomes should find their way into the local government planning and budgeting cycle. Under this outcome citizens’ role in budget planning and implementation is reinforced and CSOs and regional government work together (under the FTA-SA-GRM partnership) to resolve prioritized systemic woreda level issues

Outcome 5: Monitoring of JAP implementation and learning

Citizens monitor implementation of joint action plans under this outcome as testified by evidence-based collaborative SA interventions and action research feeds into national policy making and practice and national practice dissemination media channels and knowledge management portal established and functional.

Some examples of service improvements as result of SA process:

• Identification and provision of medicines by item and volume to ensure availability
• Allocating additional budget for medical drug delivery
• Extra water points drilled in Kebele’s where water problem persists
• Woreda’s lobbying Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) district office to provide improved service
• Using alternative electric sources like solar power
• Combating teacher absenteeism through awareness raising and constructing shades in the schools for teachers to use
• Putting follow up and monitoring procedure distribution of agricultural inputs
• Facilitating timely provision of agricultural inputs;
  Raising the awareness of the community on reason of price increase.

Results:

• Representatives of citizens and marginalized groups organized to participate in SA processes: 51% (end-line target 50%)
• Representatives of citizens and marginalized groups organized to participate in SA processes: 39% (end-line target 30%)
• Citizens are aware of service standards, entitlements and SA processes: 9% (end-line target 40%)
• Assessment of needs/priorities by citizens in the provision of public services: 404 CRC assessments completed (end-line target 416)
• Number of Joint Action Plans (JAP) signed: in 369 woredas (end-line target of 350)
• Number of woreda budget plans that incorporate JAP priorities: 190 (end-line target 200)
• Citizens’ involvement in budget planning and implementation reinforced: 4% of the respondents (end-line target of 10%)
• Number of functional regional FTA-SA-GRM partnerships to resolve prioritized systemic woreda level issues: 11 (end-line target of 12)
• Design and implement a grant management scheme for civil society organisations in Ethiopia, procuring and implementing contracts with 43 consortia of in total 72 implementing organizations (IPs) in Ethiopia through a support system for applicants and grantees including financial reporting procedures and templates for monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports;
• Design and implement a nationwide social accountability capacity building program (promoting social accountability tools and sector knowledge on water & sanitation, education, health, rural roads and agriculture), guides, manuals, online repository and toolkits;
• Stakeholder engagement and management and Coordination with WB, development partners, and various levels of government: Consult with IPs and other stakeholders, conduct risk and context analyses and implement Adaptive Programming guidance to respond to changes in context; Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL):
• Activity and consortium-level monitoring and evaluation for activities implemented by IPs, training of partners on MEAL, and produce publications on lessons learned and best practices in social accountability.