Mwananchi - Strengthening Citizen Engagement

A round-table learning about what works and what doesn't work for holding governments to account through direct citizen engagement in Africa, based on the experiences of the Mwananchi Programme.

In recent years, various value for money (VFM) tools and techniques have been proposed as the key to effective, targeted and cost-efficient aid. But are these approaches genuinely aligned with the needs of developing communities, as well as the donor agencies that promote them? What happens when they are implemented at grassroots level? And how can they be translated through citizen voice and accountability programmes?

Christian Aid will host a discussion on these issues as part of the Governance and Transparency Fund public meeting series. Following on from Q&A’s, there will be an informal Value For Money market-place where organisations and experts working on VFM will showcase their materials and resources, with the chance to interact with presenters, contributors, audience members and Christian Aid staff.

As media celebration of women’s role in the 'Arab Spring' revolutions clearly demonstrates, there is growing interest in the value of women's participation in the shaping and reshaping of governance systems and processes. But when the 'real decisions' start to be made – from household to district, national to international – women disappear. What needs to change to ensure that women’s voices really count?

This series comprises six discussions around the theme of ‘Demanding accountability from the bottom-up: examining what works, what does not work, and why'. The series reflects on the four years of implementing Governance and Transparency Fund (GTF) programmes such as Mwananchi in various parts of the world.