The Affiliated Network for Social Accountability (Ansa-Africa), which was launched this week, will seek to assist in the roll-out of support and technical assistance for social accountability initiatives on the African continent.

Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, World Bank operating officer and programme leader Mary McNeil said that, while the development bank’s development grant facility would provide the seed money to launch new initiatives, it was expected to withdraw after three years, by which time the projects were expected to be self-sufficient.

She explained that the Human Sciences Research Council would partner with Ansa-Africa to provide greater support to initiatives that were previously handled in an individual capacity and thus bring about unity.

The objectives included developing cross-country collaboration in social accountability, providing technical assistance, improving social accountability initiatives, providing financial support and delivering training programmes on rigorous social accountability tools and techniques.

In addition, Ansa-Africa would be a platform to share country experiences and demand side governance initiatives, bothregionally and globally.

An Ansa-Africa strategic plan would be drawn up by the end of next year, McNeil said.