NDPC seeks stronger institutional ownership of revised national M&E manual
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) is seeking stronger institutional ownership and practical application of Ghana’s national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework through a review of the draft second edition of its M&E Manual.
The review is intended to ensure that the revised document reflects changes in the country’s legal, institutional and development planning environment while improving the use of evidence in policy formulation, resource allocation and public accountability.
Director-General of the NDPC, Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, said this at a stakeholder peer review of the draft Manual held on Thursday.
She explained that the revision was necessary because of developments in Ghana’s national development planning landscape since the publication of the first edition in 2013.
Dr Smock Amoah clarified that the revised Manual was not intended to introduce a new monitoring and evaluation system but to improve the effectiveness of the existing national framework.
She emphasised that monitoring and evaluation should be incorporated from the design stage of policies, plans, programmes and projects, rather than treated as an activity undertaken after implementation.
She said evidence generated through the process should inform programme implementation, budgeting, policy decisions and accountability.
The Director-General urged stakeholders to provide practical and candid recommendations on institutional responsibilities, reporting arrangements, monitoring tools and templates, as well as the feasibility of implementing the proposed guidelines at all levels.
The Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the NDPC, Mr Bright Yaw Atiase, said the Manual was intended to serve all institutions participating in Ghana’s development planning and evaluation processes, and not the Commission alone.
He urged participating institutions to ensure that their concerns and recommendations were adequately captured in the revised document.
Mr Atiase identified the incorporation of knowledge management as a significant addition, explaining that strengthening the generation, documentation and use of knowledge would improve policy formulation and management decisions.
Judith Twumwaa, ISD
