Civil society organisations (CSOs) with roots extending to foreign countries are compelled to provide a two-year work plan which clearly highlights their program expenses, source of funds and project details under the latest bill by the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO).

The directive which is set to take effect after board approval includes a fresh set of reforms that hope to address the registration and administration of CSOs often rife with unclear stipulations that raise contentions with the Authority.

Organisations are met with a 500-dollar registration fee after proof of legality from their country of origin is provided along with two electronic signatures and a support letter for their endeavours in Ethiopia.

Their work plan must include annual project schedules and funding sources and details on administrative and program expenses with changes requiring notification to the Authority.

Ahmed Hussien, vice president of the Ethiopian Civil Society Council was part of the board involved in the draft making.

He observed the four-year-old proclamation had left room for open-ended interpretation on some issues that needed clarity. The law redefined the civil society landscape starting from the label of 'charity'.

Ahmed believes the bill will address transparency issues of the organisations and limitations of the Authority by clearly stating the process for registration and providing a detailed depiction of the civil society landscape for foreign organisations eyeing to enter the country.

"Some had simply vanished into thin air," Ahmed told Fortune.

While he does not think that the foreign organisations will simply remain in the country due to the obligation to report, he expects a heightened sense of duty to develop due to the enhanced oversight.

"They [CSOs] should not assume that the country is a free-for-all environment with no oversight," he said.

Ahmed explained that the provisions on the utilisation of a foreign currency account radiate from the desire to harmonise the Authority's mandate with the regulations of the central bank.

There are close to 600 international civil society organisations working in the country. They are engaged in several sectors from democracy and human rights to strict provision of aid.

According to Teferi Geletu, registration lead executive at the Authority, the directive augments existing stipulations already hinted through the proclamation. He said an organisation coming all the way from a foreign base should be expected to know the sectors of interest that align with the goals of its headquarters.

"It only makes things clearer," said Teferi.

Although civil society organisations working in the country are hopeful of the straightforward process and transparency, they remain worried about the implementation bureaucracy.

Gezahegn Kebede (PhD) has been a country director at Oxfam International for nearly six years and perceives the string of reforms by the Authority from several contrasting perspectives.