UE/R Use Indigenous Methods of Monitoring and Evaluation M&E- GMEF

 A cross section of participants at the GMEF 

  Dr Pascal Atendem MOU Bolga & Mrs Dede Beddu-Addo Coordunator of GMEF

Monitoring and Evaluation M&E is a practice not because of school projects but a natural phenomenon in every human being such that if you do not look back at what you have done, you cannot tell whether you are moving forward. 

Everybody living in his or her normal life does some monitoring and evaluation of some sort, without necessarily being educated. 

Unfortunately, due to formal education, we have all learned to count and measure only in the English language but everyone has a way of counting and measuring in their own context. 

It is against this backdrop that a day’s meeting has been held by Ghana Monitoring and Evaluation Forum at the Regional Coordinating Council Bolgatanga. 

Participants to the forum were stakeholders drawn from the various government institutions and Civil Society Organizations. It was under the theme “Using Documentation, Evidence and Data for Monitoring and Evaluation”. 

The forum was sponsored by the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund UNICEF. In his welcome address, the Acting Upper East Regional Minister Hon. 

Frank Adongo Fuseni indicated that, the relevance of data in monitoring has been acknowledge across all sectors of endeavors. 

He added that in the light of the crucial role of M&E, the government created a special, ministry to play an oversight and coordinating role in the monitoring and evaluation of priority programmes to generate real time reports. 

Subsequently, the ministry prepared a Results Framework for 2017 to 2020 which was approved by Cabinet. 

The Minister stated that, government will through the Ministry of M&E continue to build the capacity of focal persons to enhance their knowledge and skills in M&E as well as data collection. 

He stressed that, together with GMEF and other stakeholders, National Evaluation Policy Guidelines will be developed. Speaking to Radio Ghana, the Coordinator of GMEF Mrs. Dede Beddu Addo said that, the rational is to address GMEF’s objective of seeking to share insight and experience into the art and practice of monitoring and evaluation with some of the latest developments in the use of data and evidence for M&E in various institutions and at various levels, within regional context particularly as it relates to the SDGs and national development. 

Mrs. Addo added that it will further strengthen the capacity of M&E professionals and enthusiasts by raising the awareness of key stakeholders in the region which can in turn; promote evidence based decision-making in both public and private sectors of the economy. She indicated that, documentation, evidence and data has become fundamental in every aspect of life and there is the need for strong evidence to better inform development practitioners, policy makers, donor community and private sector investors. 

In his presentations on the topic, indigenous forms of data and gathering methods for M&E, Dr. Pascal Atendem of Miller Open University, Bolgatanga indicated that, M&E is all about measurements in terms of color, seizes, numbers, ranks and proportions trying to describe a situation to determine a relationship.

 Dr. Atendem stated that in the context of indigenous data gathering , it was prudent, to conceptualize with the people in the rural area when there is a project, so that their concepts can be used to measure whether results being delivered are according to their needs. 

The Projects Manager Rise Ghana Mrs Jawrahatu Amadu took participants through Using Data for Development Work, and the relevanceof it regarding our everyday lives. 

A Senior Research fellow, University for Development Studies UDS Dr. Joseph Abazaami, talked on Regular Documentation of Evidence for Monitoring and Evaluation saying that no meaningful plaining can take plaining can take place with using date. 

The abundance of research findings reports needs to be systematically reviewed, translated, contextualized and disseminated to better inform policy makers and development practitioners to effectively transform African development and put African countries on the track to achieve the SDGs.

Story by: GBC’s Emmanuel Akayeti

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