Module IV: Advocacy and Accountability

Social accountability refers to ‘‘actions initiated by citizen groups to hold public officials, politicians, and service providers to account for their conduct and performance in terms of delivering services, improving people's welfare and protecting people's rights’’. This sub module is designed to enable Fellows acquire knowledge regarding the liabilities and obligations placed on public functionaries (elected office bearers and appointed officials) to give satisfactory explanation to the public (tax payers) concerning the exercise of power, authority and resources, which are entrusted to public office bearers ordinarily as a trust from the citizens. The state budget provides very specific line-item detail on where public resources will be spent and what resources will be spent on. The doctrine of ‘‘public accountability is acknowledged as a pivot around which good government rotates’’.