A policy framework that seeks to guide the monitoring and evaluation of ministries, departments and agencies has been designed by the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E).
Known as the National Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, the structure will inform decision making for all development programmes, projects and public investments when approved.
Meanwhile, the M&E system will also become the requirement to establishing good governance and value for money in all state projects and programmes, including those implemented by local assemblies.
The Deputy Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr William Kwasi Sabi, who spoke at the opening of the final validation workshop in Accra on Friday stated that monitoring and evaluation has a strong relationship with policy formulation, planning and budgeting.
However, he identified the fact that there was no uniformed regulations on M&E in the country to provide valuable feedback and lessons for continuous progresses in development policies, plans and budgets.
He attributed the above fact to fragmentation of M&E systems which has brought about inadequate reports which only complied with requirements, but were rarely used for decision making.
“Most evaluations conducted are donor-driven and culture of using evaluations to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of government programmes and projects is non-existing,” he said.
Mr Sabi also made it known that the limited capacity for monitoring and evaluation practice compromised the quality of reports produced.
Moving forward, he said the policy would deepen the monitoring and evaluation knowledge in Ghana.
“It will enhance the demand and utilisation of M&E results in policy formulation and decision making at all levels, promote evaluation culture and use it as a tool to ensure prudence use of public funds for all development interventions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mrs Elizabeth Sackey, added that the framework would help to assess whether proposed targets are being met or not and to identify achievements, constraints and challenges so that improvements could be done to achieve better results.
Public funds
On the other hand, a Senior Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Dr Charles Amoatey, who is the Lead Facilitator of the policy framework, said it would be implemented by all government agencies that use public funds.
He said the policy would also mandate all government intervention programmes to prepare M & E plans which will guide institutional heads to support the framework by championing the establishment and operationalisation of the system.
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
