By Hassanatu I. Conteh
The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) and the National Monitoring and Evaluation Agency (NaMEA), have on Friday, 6th September 2024 at the Foreign Service Academy at Tower Hill in Freetown, completed a two-day Medium Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) Results Framework (2024-2030) Validation Workshop.
Present at the closing ceremony was the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, the Secretary to the President, and the Director General of NaMEA among other stakeholders.
Delivering her keynote address, the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Madam Kenyeh Barley stated that the Results Framework is the fundamental tool through which the delivery of Ministries, Departments and Agencies against the MTNDP 2024-2030, is assessed to determine progress they have made in achieving the government’s priorities of the Big Five Game Changers: Feed Salone, Human Capital Development, Youth Employment Scheme, Infrastructure, Technology and Innovation and Transforming the Public Service Architecture.
She noted that all new and future capital projects of the MDAs would have to be aligned with the requirements of the MTNDP 2024-2030 Results Framework monitored through the National Monitoring and Evaluation Management Information Systems (NaMEMIS). She went on to reveal that all donor and government funded projects would be inputted and monitored through the NaMEMIS with all budgetary disbursements to projects determined by monitoring reports of NaMEA as stipulated in the Budget Call Circular for FY 2025.
She pointed out that the document contains 159 targets and 397 key policy actions which have been worked on.
“Data is very crucial not only for helping out with informed decision making, but also tracking the progress and the plans; therefore it is our aspiration as a nation that this data is available and reliable,” The MoPED Minister maintained and thanked NaMEA for their professionalism and dedication and all others involved in the work.
The Deputy Minister of Finance (1), Madam Kadiatu Allie, stated that the results framework is a critical component of the national strategy serving not only as a guide for national development but also as a mechanism for accountability and progress tracking. “It is indeed critical going forward that we prioritize investments and increase domestic productivity and revenue mobilization,” she stated, adding, “if we continue to meet the timeline given by our international donor partners, then more funds will be made available to us.”
She underscored that the government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Finance provided the funds for the development and validation of the Results Framework, which underscores the importance attached to the process. She highlighted that critical sectors of the Big Five Game Changers such as Agriculture, Education, Health, Infrastructure, will continue to receive priority investments, while acknowledging NaMEA and partners for their role played in the development of the Results Framework.
The Director General of the National Monitoring and Evaluation Agency, Dr. James Edwin, emphasized that they will support and enhance decision makers to make evidence-based public policy and programmatic decisions and strengthen accountability regarding Government policies, programs and projects. He noted that monitoring will enable managers to identify problems and make necessary corrections, while evaluation will provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable, and useful.