<< Programmes - Democratic Governance

If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Manage It:

Joint Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation

Location:
Nationwide
Period:
July 2005 – June 2008
Corporate Thematic Area:
Democratic Governance
2005 - 2008 Budget:
US$ 3,700,000
Implementing Partners:
Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, National Statistics Office, Ministries, Local Assemblies, Civil Society Organizations, Communities
Development Partners:
UN System, EU, GTZ, Government of Norway, DFID, Millennium Challenge Corporation
Contact:
Alwin Nijholt
Trust Fund Manager
P.O. Box 30135
Lilongwe 3, Malawi
Office: +265 (0) 1 773 500, Ext. 246
alwin.nijholt@undp.org

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa—ranking 164 out of 177 countries in the 2007 Human Development Index. Making the right decisions is critical to improve the lives of the people of Malawi. If decisions are made at random or according to the interests of a small group of people, it is typically the most vulnerable who suffer. To make the best decisions on education, health or economic planning there is a need for up-to-date information on the current situation as well as its past evolution. To plan for tomorrow it is necessary to understand today’s realities.

The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MDGS) is an articulation of Malawi’s vision of lasting poverty reduction through sustainable economic growth and infrastructure development. It is a comprehensive strategy from 2006-2011 targeting six priority areas of agriculture and food security, irrigation and water development, transport infrastructure development, energy generation and supply, integrated rural development, and prevention and management of nutrition disorders and HIV and AIDS.

The Ministry of Economic Planning and Development (MEPD) is mandated by Government to coordinate and strengthen Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems. MEPD is leading a Joint Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation in collaboration with other Government Ministries, Local Assemblies, civil society organisations and communities. The three-year programme (2005-2008) is supported by various development partners.

UNDP is managing a Trust Fund with pooled resources from the UN System, the European Union and the German development cooperation agency GTZ. Additional funds for specific M&E activities have been made available by the Government of Norway, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (USAID), DFID, and the EU Capacity Building Programme. Government contributions are made in cash and in kind. The total budget is US$ 3.7 million.

The main objective of the Joint Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation is to ensure that planning and decision-making at national, district and community level is based on real facts and figures. Getting the right information is essential in tracking whether the country is achieving the targets of the 2006-2011 Malawi Growth and Development Strategy and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The main components of the programme include strengthening M&E systems at the national, sector, district and community level; promoting the use of MASEDA, the national indicator database on social and economic development, for planning purposes; supporting annual MGDS progress reviews; and developing national capacity to undertake impact assessments and evaluations.

MASEDA
MASEDA is Malawi’s national socioeconomic database. It was developed by the National Statistic Office (NSO) in collaboration with the United Nations in Malawi. MASEDA 3.0, the latest version, contains over 600 indicators for the MGDS, MDGs and sectors. It offers policy makers and planners easy access to vital information for monitoring and planning. MASEDA is now also available on line at www.maseda.info.

The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Programme has provided training for line ministries and Local Assemblies on what MASEDA is and how to use it. If it is used, national, sectoral, district and community efforts can be properly coordinated and based on well monitored up-to-date information.

Strengthening M&E systems in the Local Assemblies
The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Programme has recruited M&E Officers for all Local Assemblies. The programme has equipped them with computers, printers and motorcycles as well as training. These Officers coordinate and report on all the data collected in the Assemblies, including reports on development initiatives and socio economic indicators in areas such as agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, etc. The M&E Officers report to the district Executive Committees, allowing this information to be used for planning purposes at the district level. The Officers are playing a very active role, often travelling throughout the Assemblies collecting data and giving trainings to NGOs and others.

Community Score Cards
The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Programme has started an initiative to support the ability of communities, as key agents of development, to undertake M&E at the local level. Villagers have the practical knowledge of how many boreholes have been constructed whether roofs have been thatched. There are a number of possible tools that could be useful at the village level, for example community score cards. By filling in these score cards community members provide feedback on the state of public services in their local communities. For instance, they can provide information on their local clinic, how long they must wait to be served, whether there were drugs available etc. Community level M&E is a good way to encourage accountability and better planning.
Sample score card:

Community Generated Criteria
Indicators	Score					Remarks
	1 Very Bad	2 Bad	3 Average	4 Good	5 V. Good
Availability of staff
Availability of ambulances
Availability of drugs
Availability of furniture
Attitudes of staff

Basic systems for M&E have been put in place, but the programme will be extended from 2008-2011, providing continuing support with more focus on support and further strengthening M&E systems in Sectors, Local Assemblies and communities to make sure that the information is being used consistently for planning, budgeting and decision-making at all levels.