Ethiopia finalises Disclosure Standard

Guidance developed by the CoST Ethiopia MSG recommends the use of the radio as the primary channel for disclosing project and contract information. This guidance is based on an assessment of how people access information which identified that 80% of Ethiopians access information primarily via the radio, followed by TV (62%) and Word of Mouth (50%). Only 2% of the population use the internet.

The guidance is contained in the CoST Ethiopia Disclosure Standards that were recently discussed by over 40 representatives from Government Procuring Entities at a Consultation Workshop.

The purpose of the Disclosure Standard, produced by Habcon Consult, is to provide guidance to procuring entities on the disclosure of information to the public from their construction programmes. The guidance also recommends television, newspapers and construction site billboards as communication channels. Despite its low use, it also recommends the use of the internet due to the potential growth of internet users, the easy storing and retrieving of electronic information and that it provides access to international stakeholders.

The Standards also differentiates the communication channels on a regional basis. For example, it proposes community meetings in the Afar and Somali regions as word of mouth is the most popular form of accessing information in those locations. It also promotes the use of community radio for disclosing information through local languages. For example, South FM transmits programmes in 43 languages.

The Standards also include the standard Project and Contract Information that should be disclosed to the public, templates for disclosing the information at different phase of construction projects on construction site boards, newspapers and websites and tools for monitoring disclosure.