The Government of Ethiopia (GoE), the Basic Service Delivery Group (BSDG) and the Ethiopia Social Accountability Program (ESAP3) Development Partners (DPs) conducted Basic Service Delivery and Joint Review & Implementation Support (JRIS) from June 1-2, 2023 at Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa.
Attended by representatives from the MoF, the World Bank, UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Ireland, African Development Bank (AfDB), VNG International, sector offices and CSOs, the mission reviewed the status of basic service delivery and ESAP implementation in Ethiopia, among others.
In her opening remarks, H.E Semerita Sewasew, State Minster, MoF, indicated the encouraging move towards construction of additional education, health and water facilities at woreda level and improvements in key indicators despite the challenges. “The continued roll-out of ESAP in more than four hundred woredas and the intensified capacity building activities and government’s ownership of Social Accountability is encouraging,” she said, adding that more collaboration is needed to strengthen the basic service delivery and ESAP implementation in conflict affected areas.
It was highlighted during the workshop that despite the challenges, the GoE has tried to protect the delivery of basic services to citizens by continuing to prioritize education, health, water, agriculture and rural roads across the country through Social Accountability (SA), Financial Accountability and Transparency (FTA) and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) initiatives.
Ethiopia Social Accountability Program (ESAP3) status update and sustainability strategy was also presented during the mission. According to the report, ESAP implementation is intensified in all the target woredas as the program is expected to officially phase out in May 2024. “I’m happy to hear that ESAP’s progress is acknowledged,” said Meskerem Girma, ESAP Team Leader, highlighting the need to keep the good momentum in the program implementation.
The JRIS mission was preceded by a regional workshop and woreda visit across all regions and city administrations except Tigray. From the field missions, the Development Partners supporting the Enhancing Shared Prosperity Through Equitable Services (ESPES) program noted encouraging efforts at regional and woreda level to expand and enhance basic service delivery and social accountability implementation.
The two-day- mission was concluded with concrete recommendations and actions for improved basic service delivery and social accountability in Ethiopia.