Introduction
While the current COVID-19 crisis poses direct threats to public health systems and institutions globally, it has had far-reaching impacts on governance systems and how these have affected the daily lives of citizens globally. The crisis has presented a window of opportunity for rogue states to entrench authoritarian tendencies and heightened the disregard for due processes such as citizen and parliamentary consultation, for example. Consequently, the lack of citizen and parliamentary oversight has facilitated significant risks characterized by corruption, nepotism, patronage, and embezzlement of public resources. As the pandemic tightens its grip around the globe, multi-lateral organizations, governments, and philanthropists have mobilized and committed large amounts of funds to tackle the crisis. The arising concern, however, is the use of these funds and the extent to which corruption, in countries where oversight institutions and mechanisms are comparatively weak, will impact health outcomes. In responding to the challenge of state/institutional corruption some of the funding for the COVID-19 response has been channelled through CSOs as a mainstream practice by donors to mitigate against corruption. There are numerous strategies through which civil society can be engaged in anti-corruption programs, acting as a watchdog, and ensuring funds to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic reach their destination. Social accountability relies on four factors to thrive. These factors include engaged citizens, a responsive government, an enabling environment/context, and access to information. Each of these factors plays an essential role in promoting social accountability monitoring advocacy, and all of these have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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