Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday unveiled the National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Policy that seeks to enhance public sector performance.
The policy titled ‘Improving public sector performance through evidence’, is expected to institutionalise a commitment to monitoring and evaluation across all levels of government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to achieve national development objectives.
Unveiling the policy in Lilongwe, Department of Economic Planning and Development deputy director of monitoring and evaluation Hermes Mauwa said the policy will address gaps that have plagued monitoring and evaluation systems.
He said: “In the past, we had uncoordinated systems, approaches and methods within the M&E domain.
“We also encountered issues with inconsistent reporting on programme and project implementation as well as a weak monitoring and evaluation culture within the government.”
The policy, developed after extensive consultations with the academia, development partners and local government authorities, is designed to institutionalise monitoring and evaluation systems to enhance public sector service delivery, accountability and good governance.
It will also provide a platform for establishing a government-wide monitoring and evaluation system, which will offer an integrated framework for M&E principles, practices and standards.
In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola-Banda said evidence-based planning will improve how local authorities manage public resources, particularly when formulating and implementing national budgets.
He said: “The ministry requires a robust framework to track how we are using our limited resources to improve service delivery
“When developing the budget, we require data and statistics on the population of different districts, their incomes and needs.”
Chithyola Banda said time for guesswork is over, stressing that this is the time for evidence-based policy action.
“Governments around the world are increasingly being held to high standards of governance, particularly in the implementation of impactful projects,” he said.
UNDP country representative Fenella Frost, whose organisation assisted the Malawi Government in developing the policy, said M&E systems will help government to account for use of taxpayers’money.
“In practice, this means the government will be able to more clearly identify and communicate to citizens how progress is being made across all aspects of Malawi 2063 [MW2063] through the implementation of this plan,” she said.
National Statistical Office commissioner of statistics Shelton Kanyanda urged local authorities to strengthen data management capacities within MDAs to ensure positive outcomes.
“Accurate poverty data, for instance, enables the precise identification of disadvantaged populations, allowing for the efficient allocation of welfare benefits and poverty reduction initiatives,” he said.
Kanyanda said the targeted approach not only maximises the impact of social programmes, but also promotes equity and social justice.
The policy has been aligned with Public Finance Management Act 2022 and national development policies such as MW2063.
