Third Phase Ethiopia Social Accountability Program Launched

  Addis Ababa  May  30/2019 The Third Ethiopia Social Accountability Program (ESAP), a program which works to improve equitable access to basic services and strengthen accountability systems at decentralized level, was launched today.

The Ethiopia Social Accountability Program (ESAP) is part of the Enhancing Shared Prosperity through Equitable Services Project (ESPES) for Ethiopia that aims to improve equitable access to basic services and strengthen accountability systems at decentralized level.

Improving quality and accessibility, the second phase of ESAP was successfully implemented from 2011-2018 in 223 woredas in Ethiopia in five basic sector-education, health water and sanitation, rural roads and agriculture, according to a statement from the program.

The Ethiopia government and development partners have now launched a third phase of the program, scaling up the project to 500 woredas (half of the total woredas in the country).

According to the statement of ESAP, the World Bank will administers the Multi Donor Trust Fund. Around 30 million USD will be dispersed to over 100 civil society organization grantees implementing the program at woreda level.

Social accountability is a process by which ordinary citizens – who are the users of basic public services – voice their needs and demands and create opportunities to hold policy makers and service providers accountable for their performance.

The social accountability concept was successfully introduced in Ethiopia in 2006 through a pilot program, it was indicated.

The fund for this phase of the program is reportedly secured from Irish Aid, European Union, Austrian Development Agency, Department for International Development and the Swedish Embassy.