Story by Fungai Jachi
THE government says it prioritises monitoring and evaluating the implementation of development projects to strengthen accountability and ensure effective execution.
It is also reigniting the momentum with which it is implementing its programmes and projects across the country to accelerate the attainment of an upper-middle income society by 2030, with an evaluation of progress cited as key to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.
In an interview with ZBC News on the sidelines of a monitoring and evaluation workshop held in Harare this Thursday, Secretary for National Monitoring Evaluation and Learning in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mrs Fananai Madambi who represented the Special Advisor to the President on Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes and Projects, Dr Joram Gumbo, noted that their main focus is on the evaluation of projects.
“We want to ensure that we just do not monitor these projects, but evaluate them as well to ensure that we track progress and learn what can be done better. The coming in of the Second Republic has seen the introduction of 100-day cycles and this has fast-tracked the implementation of priority projects, which shows that the evaluation system is bearing fruit,” Mrs Madambi said.
The United Nations(UN) says it supports Zimbabwe’s quest to harness modern ways of monitoring and evaluating projects.
“We are expressing the UN’s commitment to Zimbabwe in supporting the government in making sure that evaluations that are conducted adhere to regional and international standards,” UN Joint Programme Country Director on HIV and AIDS, Mr Henry Damisoni said.
Through the implementation of the monitoring and evaluation policy, the government aims to strengthen transparency and ensure projects are aligned with local needs and implemented in a manner that serves citizens’ interests.
Since its inception, the Second Republic has implemented over eight thousand life-changing projects in various sectors across the country.
