Minister William K Sabi and a section of participants at the meeting
THE MINISTRY of Monitoring and Evaluation (MoME) has held a public consultation on its national monitoring and evaluation policy draft intended to promote evaluation culture in Ghana, using it as a tool for change.
The meeting, which was held in Kumasi, was a key opportunity for state actors and practitioners at the national, regional and district levels of government to provide valuable inputs on the policy.
Deputy Minister for MoME, William Kwasi Sabi, said the policy is expected to have impact on fiscal and financial prudence, evidence-based decision-making, transparency and accountability, whilst it promotes efficient and effective design and implementation development programme.
According to him, the national evaluation policy when finalised is also expected to enhance collaboration with development partners, civil society organisations and NGOs, in addition to strengthening central management agencies.
He noted that there is no clear standardised regulation that gives direction and harmony on how monitoring and evaluation activities are to be conducted, in spite of the institutional arrangements the country has in place.
The deputy minister said most evaluations conducted are donor-driven and the culture of using evaluations to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of government programmes and projects is non-existent.
Dr Charles Amoatey of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), who made a presentation on the draft, said the policy is dedicated to setting out M&E as a national requirement for all development programmes, projects and public investments.
According to him, the policy would emphasise M&E as a mandatory tool for ascertaining good governance and value for money.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi