The objective o f the Public Sector Capacity Building Program (PSCAP) Support Project for Ethiopia is to improve the scale, efficiency, and responsiveness of public service delivery at the federal, regional, and local level; to empower citizens to participate more effectively in shaping their own development; and to promote good governance and accountability.

This objective will be achieved by scaling up Ethiopia's ongoing capacity building and institutional transformation efforts in six priority areas under PSCAP-(i) Civil Service Reform; (ii) District-Level Decentralization; (iii) Urban Management Capacity Building; (iv) Tax Systems Reform; (v) Justice System Reform; (vi) Information and Communications Technology.

There are two main project components. Component 1, Federal PSCAP, supports federal level activities across each of the six subprograms including those capacity building activities for which there are scale and network economies including those activities that require national level prototyping. The component is required to include basic program support activities to ensure effective implementation. Component 2, Regional PSCAP, constitutes the bulk of the Program and is designed to empower regions to adapt and implement national reform and capacity building priorities envisaged under PSCAP's six subprograms in a manner that is efficient, accountable, and sustainable.

Synergies and trade-offs between key subprograms will be fully leveraged through this component. Regions will also shift resources year-to-year and in-year from poor performing to higher performing subprogram activities. This component is also required to include basic program support activities to ensure effective implementation.

More:

PSCAP Evaluation Report (2007)

PSCAP Brief (DFID)

Independent Review of World Bank Support to Capacity Building in Africa: Case Study of Ethiopia

World Bank page on PSCAP

World Bank features on PSCAP