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Ku-Atenga Media

The Zambia Accountability Programme (ZAP) is working to increase accountability in the delivery of public goods and services. Through technical assistance and grant mechanisms to partners, the programme aims to ensure that public policy and democratic processes are more credible, inclusive and transparent, and represent citizens' interests. Particular emphasis is placed on promoting gender equality and social inclusion including strengthening the livelihoods of the most vulnerable, supporting girls to remain in school, and increasing women’s representation in political processes.

The programme uses a robust framework to monitor, evaluate and learn from its results. It supports evidence-based learning and dialogue within and between public and private stakeholders to show how citizens can benefit from more inclusive development. 

Areas of work

We work across three thematic areas to identify issues where the potential is highest to mobilise a broad range of interests behind change:

1. Political Processes and Democratic Institutions

2.  Education Governance

3.  Inclusive Growth

Our approach

Our programmes of support focus on inclusion and empower people and organisations that are often disadvantaged in society. Our grants encourage innovation and creativity in Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), to develop capacity, and foster collaboration and collective action among various stakeholders, including government and the private sector.

Political Processes and Democratic Institutions

The aim of this output is to support interventions that promote citizens’ participation through active and informed engagement with elected leaders, political parties and public servants around specific development problems.  This will be achieved by:

  • Creating spaces or forums for citizens and service providers to dialogue and use the information gained to resolve identified, tractable governance and development issues.
  • Capacity building of elected women at national and local level to better represent their constituents and work towards a more supportive environment to increase their participation in political and public life.
  • Strengthening broadcast and social media to increase its diversity and coverage of governance and accountability issues, better reflecting the views of the marginalised (especially women, youth and people living with disabilities) at the local and national level.
  • Facilitating evidence-based dialogue between elected leaders and their constituents in addition to increasing the capacity of citizens and Civil Soceity Organisations (CSOs) to influence policy formation and implementation.

With funding from the European Union, ZAP also managed the ‘Support to Implementation of Zambia Elections (SIZE) project, which aimed to strengthen electoral participation and representation in Zambia.  The SIZE project provided ‘top up’ funds to deepen and widen ZAP’s existing interventions so as to maximise donor coordination and benefit from economies of scale. SIZE also featured a post – elections project that focussed on gender empowerment:  supporting women elected to political office. The SIZE project came to an in October 2018.

 

 

Education Governance

The aim of this output is to improve education governance and delivery of services at district and school levels.  This output will be achieved by:

  • Increasing information to citizens and service providers  on entitlements and minimum standards in the delivery of education services.
  • Creating spaces or forums for citizens and service providers to dialogue and use the information gained to resolve service delivery challenges.
  • Increasing the capacity of citizens and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to complement each other’s voice in influencing policy formation and implementation in the delivery of education  services.
  • Promoting the use of simple tools to gather and inform the quality of service delivery in education as well as to help citizens and service providers to dialogue and resolve challenges.  

 

Inclusive Growth

The aim of this output is increased influence on economic policy by think tanks, advocacy organisations and other stakeholders.  Policy influence will be achieved in three ways:

  • Increasing the capacity of local think tanks to carry politically-informed, relevant research and disseminate it effectively.
  • Encouraging co-operation between influential Zambian organisations who can work together to argue for specific policy changes.  
  • Commissioning topical research relevant to specific local needs. 

Equitable management of public goods – What do we mean?

  • The application of a clear and transparent set of rules that are aligned with social norms
  • Accountability of service providers in a way that drives performance – top-down bureaucratic discipline in combination with participation of actual and potential beneficiaries
  • Responsiveness to the needs of women and vulnerable groups in equal measure with those in society more able to negotiate access

 

ZAP is funded with UKaid from the UK government and managed by the British Council.

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