ENHANCING SUPPLY-SIDE SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN ZAMBIA

ActionAid Zambia and Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) is conducting a 3 days Supply-Side Actors Training on Social Accountability in Chipata  district of eastern Zambia.

At the heart of Good Governance lies the imperative for structures and processes that uphold integrity, effective participation, transparency, and accountability for decision-making and public administration to meet citizens’ needs and ensure the socio-economic well-being of people and states. These processes and structures promoting the rule of law and fostering engagement between governments and citizens are the bedrock of effective Social Accountability System. This knowledge, emphasizing the need for systems that enable and are responsive to social accountability actions through their ability to produce the information necessary for social accountability to happen and answerability (explanations and justifications) for the use of public resources, underpins AAZ and PSAM’s approach to Social Accountability Monitoring (SAM).
In March 2024, select Partnership for Social Accountability (PSA) Alliance partners in Zambia reflected on a learning report initiated by the SDC entitled “Review of the Enablers and Barriers to the Effectiveness of SAC Local Actors under the Strengthening Social Accountability and Oversight in Health and Agriculture in Southern Africa Programme prepared by the International Development Research Development (IRDO)“SAC Report”. The report raised several insights on the extent to which the relational and systemic approach to social accountability the PSAA utilized in select sites of its project implementation in Zambia has been effective. “The findings highlight the importance of social capital, institutional support, and knowledge sharing as key enablers for effective social accountability efforts in the health and agriculture sectors. These findings have important implications for socioeconomic development and policy development. By understanding the enablers and barriers to effectiveness, policymakers and program implementers can design targeted interventions to enhance social accountability and oversight in these sectors.
These findings, therefore, necessitated the supply-side actors training on social accountability monitoring. The expected outcomes of this training is;
1.    Increased awareness and understanding of social accountability principles among supply-side actors.
2.    Improved capacity of supply-side actors to generate and disseminate information relevant to social accountability initiatives.
3.    Enhanced responsiveness of public service systems to citizen demands and concerns.
4.    Strengthened partnerships and collaboration between supply-side actors, civil society organizations, and citizens to promote accountability and good governance.
5.    Enhanced trust and confidence in public institutions among citizens.