Poverty is a key contributor to food insecurity and also perpetuates the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the SADC Region. As of 2013 high level of poverty have been reported in the region with 6 out of 15 countries having poverty levels above 30% (Malawi 29.8%, Mozambique 44.1%, Tanzania 32.1% and Zambia 31.3%).
Effectiveness of investments by national government and international cooperating partners to address poverty, food insecurity and the HIV/AIDS scourge have been limited by systemic weaknesses in the management of these resources such as absence of good governance, widespread corruption, and a weak level of accountability in public resource management.
Parliaments, CSOs and media can play an important role in ensuring that public institutions deliver quality services to the citizenry. Different parliamentary committees tasked with oversight role in the sectors of health and agriculture exist and are functional - with varying degrees of success – in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. However their effectiveness is limited by lack of capacity and lack of collaboration with CSOs and media to put pressure on the executive and public service providers.

Effective pro-poor policies, plans, budget, actions and systems for good governance in public resource management in health and agriculture contribute to the achievement of SDGs, improve health outcomes and food security in the SADC region.

The specific objective of this first phase is to strengthen public resource management at district, national and regional level in the areas of health (sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and AIDS) and agriculture (food security) in four countries of the region: Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.

Working with the following five target groups will facilitate sustainability of this project, strengthen social accountability and public resource management processes at the national and SADC region levels:

• relevant parliamentary committees [target: 19],
• government departments [target: 26],
• issue based CSOs [target: 40],
• smallholder farmer organisations [target: 19],
• the media organisations including community radios [target: 35]

Beneficiaries of the programme are ultimately the general public, with the improvement of public resources management and service delivery.

Outcome 1: Relevant Parliamentary committees are more responsive, accountable and capable to exercise systemic oversight in the management of public resources in health and in agriculture in the four target countries.

Outcome 2: Issue-based CSOs, smallholder farmer organisations and media in SADC region (particularly in the four target countries) have increased capacity in rights and evidence-based social accountability monitoring in health and agriculture.

Outcome 3: Relevant Government departments in the four target countries are more responsible, accountable and capable to meet the needs and address the rights of citizens - particularly people living in poverty and the marginalised - in health and agriculture.

Expected results:  

• Strengthened capacity in public resources management, social accountability monitoring, oversight and advocacy in health and agriculture sectors of; i/ relevant parliamentary committees and their staff; ii/ issue-based CSOs, smallholder farmer organizations and the media.
• Strengthened capacity of relevant government departments to increasingly apply public resource management processes that are more socially accountable.
• National and regional learning events and experience sharing platforms in social accountability monitoring, oversight and public resource management in the areas of health and agriculture.
• Improved awareness and advocacy for Parliamentary budget offices for public resource management oversight.
• Individual organisational and collective actions by Parliamentary Committees, issue-based CSOs, farmer’s organisations and the media, to address challenges associated with public resources management in the health and agriculture sectors.

Results from previous phases:  

• A tender was conducted through which the implementing partner was selected.
• Baselines were established outlining  the social acountability and oversight mechanisms in place at regional (SADC), national and district levels in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
• A project document (including logframe, budget and monitoring framework) was developed for the project implementation.
• A project advocacy and communication strategy was designed to support the project implementation.

The Partnership for Social Accountability (PSA) is a consortium of 4 agencies: Action Aid International (lead organisation), Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF), Southern African HIV and AIDS Information and Dissemination Services (SAfAIDS), and Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM), Rhodes University

SADC Parliamentary Forum,
SCO Tanzania, SCO Mozambique,
RPSA portfolio:

• AFA, SKI, SAMP
• HIV in Prisons, CSTL, SYP, SAT, CPF

Phase 1 01.11.2014 - 30.06.2019   (Completed)