Forum Syd's Tanzania office has launched a three year social accountability programme in the Kagera and Mwanza regions. The program started this year and is expected be completed in 2013. In order to make an informed decision on which interventions to apply and how they should be prioritised, Forum Syd commissioned a baseline study in the districts in which the programme will operate. This report focuses on the three pre-selected districts within the target regions and provides recommendations on appropriate interventions and benchmarks against which future progress can be measured and evaluated. The report of a very innovative social accountability benchmarking process can be read not only for the input it makes into a developing programme but for lessons of replicability by agencies in other countries across Africa.

1. For a successful delivery of the Program it is important for Forum Syd to understand that they are entering districts where community members have low trust in their service providers, private sector companies and CSOs with regards to social accountability. A program that deals with accountability issues should have a carefully planned entry process. To avoid continued dissatisfaction with the delivery of social accountability it is important to win the public’s confidence Emphasis should be placed on community sensitisation with the aim of changing peoples’ attitudes and perception to stakeholders. After the three years there should also be a planned exit strategy to enable sustainability of social accountability in the districts and avoid jeopardising the publics’ trust.


2. Local Government Authorities, private sector and CSOs should work towards creating an enabling environment in which the communities contribute to public policies and plans. This secures buy in from the people that will be affected by the decisions. This can be done through strengthening the capacities of CSOs and communities to increase transparency in the intervention. Another alternative can be through CSOs or community representatives attending working groups or stakeholder forums where public policy issues are debated.


3. Forum Syd should secure buy in from all stakeholders to support the process in order to give the Program legitimacy. This should be done through signing Memorandums of Understanding with Local Government Authorities and CSOs.


4. Communities should be trained to become responsive local governance actors as active engagement is crucial for there to be a well functioning social accountability process.


5. It is recommended that the social accountability mechanisms are used in the capacity building of communities, enabling members to understand their purpose and how best to use them.


6. To further enhance the communities’ currently weak understanding of how the CSOs’ can contribute to social accountability it is recommended for communities to be trained in the meaning of accountability. Meanwhile, CSOs should receive training to strengthen their understanding on how best to work with accountability and receive guidance on how to best position themselves as valuable stakeholders. Social accountability should be mainstreamed in areas of interventions.


7. As social accountability depends on active engagement from the communities it is important to drive behavioural change. It is therefore recommended that youth and as the next generation of voters, should be educated of their rights and obligations. Educating them will indirectly influence their families and by doing so reach a greater number of beneficiaries.


8. The community participation numbers are important as benchmarks against which future participation can be measured. In a democratic process one should always strive for full and meaningful participation, which is not manageable or realistic in a three year period. The number of participants should however increase on an annual basis as a result of social accountability interventions.


9. It is recommended to design specific interventions that respond to the needs of the most vulnerable groups such as out of school youth and people living with HIV/AIDS and disabilities. These groups are normally marginalised, hence without a focused approach they risk being left out of the social accountability process.


10. The local communities should receive training on their right to access information, and the process to follow should they be denied this right. The training should also include the different types of information to be available.


11. It is recommended that the resource centres be established as a means to facilitate channelling of information enabling communities to access information. Emphasis should be given to the usage of print and electronic media as it is found to be weak.


12. In order to promote freedom of expression the Program should, in its resource centres, make available various sources of information with a particular focus on internet training and usage


13. Local Government Authorities should expand their information channelling to include local level service providers such as Teacher Resource Centres, health centres and dispensaries or other commonly used local service providers.


14. When delivering their programs CSOs and Local Government Authorities should use the most commonly used public information channels in the districts. This will create a practice of using common sources of public information.


15. Community theatre could be used to introduce and enhance the understanding of social accountability. It can be an effective ongoing method of communicating information to stakeholders. This will also enable children and adults who are illiterate to access information.

*  Persons wishing to know more about this programme can contact Godfrey Wawa, programme manager and country representative for Forum Syd Tanzania. He can be contacted at: 

P.O. Box 11850,Mwanza, Tanzania; by phone at +255 713 7976 / +255 752420116; or by e-mail at 

The Forum Syd website is www.africa.forumsyd.org

Related document/s
Vacancy: Bilateral associate expert (BBE) on social accountability with a focus on youth perspective