Ethiopia Aid effectiveness in the health sector - Action for Global ...

Ethiopia – Aid Effectiveness in the health sector
National regulations interfering with the AE agenda are another example of
this. The problem with USAID is the most common example, but many other
countries also have their own procurement rules and accountability
mechanisms. Italy, for instance, requested some recipient countries to reform
their procurement and reporting systems so that these would fit with their own
standards. 40
These examples show that AE is not only about a willingness to make things
happen in a given country but also about the donor country’s own national
political decisions and systems.
3. Democratic ownership
Overview of CSOs in Ethiopia
Compared with other African countries, Ethiopian CSOs are weak and they
have to work in a difficult environment. During the Derg or Communist regime
(1974-1992), CSOs were not allowed to operate. In 1994, a new constitution was
adopted and in 1995 democratic elections were held. The Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), headed by Meles Zenawi, has been in
power ever since.
The number of CSOs working in Ethiopia has grown significantly over the last few
years. According to the registry of the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice, the number
of national NGOs increased from 540 to 1981 between 2004 and March 2008.
Similarly, the number of registered religious organisations grew from 192 to 690 in
the same period. 41 However, the increase in the number CSOs can be better by
higher aid flows, rather than the existence of an enabling environment.
CSOs in Ethiopia face problems of a different nature. Some are social
constraints such as a lack of skilled workers, which fuels competition between
donors and CSOs for the limited available human resources; and a low level of
public awareness, which makes it difficult to mobilise the social masses in a
country which anyway has a highly dispersed population.
Other problems arise from internal and organisational factors. CSOs and NGOs
in Ethiopia are not subject to a voluntary Code of Conduct, as in many other
countries, even though there was an attempt to create one back in the 1990s.
Moreover, the mission of some organisations is not always clear and there are
CSOs which were created along political lines based on family ties. 42
Coordination among CSOs working on the same issues needs to be improved
and transparency remains an issue.
The accounts and audits of certain CSOs are not publicly available. In addition,
competition for funding has driven some CSOs to work in areas beyond their
mandate or mission statement. Furthermore, the institutional link between the
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