Page
5 of
29
representing all regions of Ethiopia. The program supports SAIPs
to open up channels of
communication between citizens, responsible government bodies and public service providers, an
engagement that helps to foster constructive citizens-state dialogue on the quality of basic service
delivery and foster options for joint solutions to make desired improvements.
The project overall
objective is to strengthen the use of social accountability tools, approaches and mechanisms by (a)
citizens and citizens groups, (b) Social Accountability Implementing Partners (SAIPs), (c) local
government officials and (d) service providers as a means to make basic service delivery more
equitable, effective, efficient, responsive and accountable.
12. Implementation agreements with the first 30 SAIPs became effective in January 2013 while the
second batch of 19 signed agreements in October 2013. In principle, the SAIPs launched activities in
January and October 2013 respectively but experience, especially for the first cohort, shows that due
to start-up procedures and logistical preparedness requirements, it took a SAIP an average of about 6
months before implementation on the ground actually became effective.
Based on the operating
environments, cultures and other regional or even woreda specific factors, field visits have also
revealed that implementation progress varies by SAIPs and across woredas. Both cohorts of SAIPs
are expected to implement the grants received in 2 years as established by the ESAP2 SC.
Accordingly, the first and second cohorts SAIPs are expected to complete their activities in December
2014 and October 2015 respectively.
13. ESAP2 advances the work done under ESAP1, a pilot intervention that
was implemented between
January 2008 and June 2009 in 86 woredas albeit with a limited number of activities, in selected
regions and federal cities covering four sectors. Evaluation of ESAP1 revealed that the use of
appropriate SA mechanisms can work in Ethiopia, leads to benefits for actors involved and improves
the quality of basic service delivery. The pilot was found to have increased citizens’
awareness of
their rights, responsibilities and entitlements to the selected basic services. Even though there was no
significant difference in respondents’ views on whether they had been orientated and made aware of
their rights, responsibilities and entitlements to basic services in participating compared to non-
participating areas (84% and 86% respectively), there was evidence to suggest that the depth of
understanding and appreciation in ESAP1 areas was better.
14. The rest of this report is structured in five additional sections. Section three reviews implementation
progress focusing on (i) implementation by SAIPs, (ii) implementation
and coordination
arrangements, (iii) procurement, (iv) financial management, and (v) monitoring and evaluation.
Sections four and five provide updates on linkages with the supply-side interventions (particularly
with regard to the SA-FTA linkages) and collaborative scale-up efforts to other flagship programs
like the Productive Safety Nets Program respectively. Section six provides an assessment of the key
emerging issues and lessons where the latter can be possibly identified and Section seven attempts to
provide a number of actions on which it may be important that agreements be reached to chart a way
forward with concrete and practicable next steps
3
with regard to social accountability policy dialogue
and implementation in Ethiopia.
3
Some of the action points in this section are part of the PBS3 November 2014 JRIS deliverables. Where this is the case, it has been indicated
against those actions in the action matrix at the end.