MPs trained in monitoring and evaluation
There is currently no mechanism in place to hold Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to account for the results they achieve and to determine value for money with regard to their operations.
The MDAs are also not made to explain whether they have achieved what they said they would with the resources allocated.
The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Regina O. Adutwum, stated this at a capacity building workshop for members of the Parliamentary Select Committees on Finance and Local Government at Dodowa on Saturday.
The NDPC and M&E
The NDPC is mandated by Article 87 of the 1992 Constitution to co-ordinate, monitor and evaluate development policies, programmes and projects in the country.
Over the past 10 years, the NDPC has increased its efforts to establish a functional national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system and to, eventually, inculcate the culture of M& E in the public system.
As part of efforts to deepen M&E in the citizenry, the NDPC held the workshop for the MPs who were considered the key stakeholders in M&E.
It is believed that building their capacities in M&E would better position them to partner with the NDPC to create an enabling environment for efficient M&E practice in Ghana.
The forum also afforded the participants the opportunity to discuss a national M&E manual developed by the NDPC.
Problems
Dr Adutwum said there were also no incentives at the individual level to reward staff for carrying out M&E activities.
Identifying more problems with regard to M&E in the public sector, she said there was non-compliance with reporting timelines and frameworks, poor data quality, data gaps and inconsistencies, and inadequate management information systems and networks, among many other things.
Way forward
Dr Adutwum said the NDPC recognised that the road to a functional M&E system was a very long one and that it had to build solid partnerships, as well as continue to refine the road map through a participatory process.
In that regard, she said the NDPC intended to build the M&E awareness and capacities of policy makers at all levels of governance in the country.
"If the political leadership understands and appreciates the value of M&E, it would translate into greater support for the establishment of the national M&E system and enhance investments in evaluations," she said.
According to her, the NDPC intended to develop a national long-term policy on building institutional and individual M&E specialists to support the growth of the national M&E system.
Among other things, she said there was the need to institute rewards and sanctions for institutions and individuals which abided by or fell short of the use of time and resources to meet their M&E mandates.
The Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Mr James Klutse Avedzi, expressed gratitude to the NDPC for recognising the important role Parliament could play in adhering to M&E principles.
