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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 12
Publication Date: December 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.1012.16130
Kanyamuna, V., Simui, F., Mubita, A., & Musanda, P. (2023). Essentials of Functional Whole-of-Government Monitoring and
Evaluation Systems: The Zambian Case. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(12). 370-383.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Essentials of Functional Whole-of-Government Monitoring and
Evaluation Systems: The Zambian Case
Vincent Kanyamuna
School of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Department of Development Studies,
University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
Francis Simui
Institute of Distance Education,
University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
Aurick Mubita
School of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Department of Social Work and Sociology,
University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
Paul Musanda
School of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Department of Development Studies,
University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
ABSTRACT
Since the turn of the 21st century in the year 2000, it has become increasingly
impossible to design and implement a development intervention, be it a project,
programme or policy without articulating a sound monitoring and evaluation
framework. More demanded are functional monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
systems. It is for that reason that governments, civil society organisations, non- governmental organizations, bilateral and multilateral agencies have all adopted
the agenda of strengthening their systems for M&E. Among others, known benefits
from implementing sound M&E include enhancing accountability, feedback and
learning. This paper articulates essentials development agencies, and their
respective stakeholders need to put in place for their M&E systems to function well.
More so, focus is on building stronger whole-of-government M&E systems.
Essentially, a typical M&E system would have two sides, both of which would be
crucial for a successful and functional whole-of-government M&E system. These are
the supply-side and the demand-side. In addition, there are known essentials
deemed crucial to a successful whole-of-government M&E system. These include the
political and technical issues associated with implementing country systems for
M&E. Another essential is the ownership of M&E systems. Further, the paper also
presents a comprehensive section showing the fundamental ten steps for building
a functional whole-of-government M&E system. When these aspects are understood
by governments and carefully institutionalised across structures, M&E would prove
to be a useful tool to promote accountability, feedback and learning. It also goes
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Kanyamuna, V., Simui, F., Mubita, A., & Musanda, P. (2023). Essentials of Functional Whole-of-Government Monitoring and Evaluation Systems:
The Zambian Case. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(12). 370-383.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1012.16130
without saying, that, in the absence of a stronger system for M&E, governments will
most likely not tell success from failure, not see success and would fail to reward it.
As such, governments would probably never recognize its failures, thus failing to
correct it and ultimately fall short of demonstrating development results. Once
these happen, such governments would not win public support.
Keywords: monitoring, evaluation, demand & supply-sides, whole-of-government, M&E
system, Zambia
INTRODUCTION
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) functions have become a requirement for development
interventions, regardless of whether they were being implemented by government, civil
society, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), bilateral or multilateral agencies. Therefore,
development organisations have created, and more are working to strengthen their systems for
M&E to increase accountability, feedback and learning mechanisms. However, to ensure that
M&E systems are stronger to meet the desired outcomes, there is need to put in place certain
essential features and components which need to work together as a unified system. It is for
that reason that we have in place government-wide (whole-of-government) M&E systems, non- governmental organisation M&E systems, civil society M&E systems, bilateral and multilateral
agency M&E systems, etc. [66] defines a WoGM&ES as a robust system that not only provides
an integrated and all-encompassing framework of M&E practices, principles and standards to
be used throughout government institutional structures, but also functions as an apex-level
system for information and draws from the component systems in a framework meant to
deliver essential M&E products tailored to satisfy information needs of users.
Thus, it is important that good understanding exists about the essential underpinnings of
monitoring and evaluation systems and how these systems are supposed to be organised if they
are to provide information that would help to transform a country’s good governance reform
agenda. Such essential ingredients represent a significant trajectory in terms of clarifying areas
of success that need to be embraced as Zambia works to develop and sustain its whole-of- government monitoring and evaluation system (WoGM&ES). Any other country system for
M&E would also benefit from the utilisation of the M&E essentials.
Essentially, a typical M&E system would have two sides both of which are crucial for a
successful and functional WoGM&ES. These are the supply-side and demand-side. In addition,
the paper articulates the essentials deemed crucial to a successful WoGM&ES. These include
the political and technical issues associated with implementing country systems for M&E.
Another essential is the ownership of M&E systems. Further, the paper presents a
comprehensive section showing the fundamental ten steps for developing a functional
WoGM&ES. The conclusion stresses the importance of these aspects.
OVERVIEW AND BACKGROUND
Several experts and development practitioners alike, as well as organisations including
governments have stressed the desire for stronger M&E systems. The Zambian Government
must build a functional and robust WoGM&ES that seeks to comprehensively provide the much- needed information to support development processes at all levels of governance, namely a
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 12, December-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
system that will meet the development expectations of players and stakeholders in the
economy and beyond.
The significance of functional national level M&E systems is that benefits are widespread,
including giving crucial decision-making information in the course of policy, programme and
project implementation. When used properly, information from these systems could help to
stimulate development debate through constructive brainstorming on challenges affecting an
intervention. In that regard, development managers obtain valuable information for
improving their deliverables, thereby assuming control and ownership of development
processes [2,46].
Since government business is generally implemented across the country, a functional
WoGM&ES is needed to help with resource allocation to the neediest areas through evidence- based data and information and results-focused feedback loops [12]. Once this is achieved, it
is envisaged that the Zambian Government’s predictability in terms of positive public service
delivery should be well anchored on a results-based management approach and the capability
of sustaining the desired national development path should be pursuable realistically.
A strong view is held among M&E advocates and practitioners that countries should always
deliberately try to lead and sustain the building of their WoGM&ESs. It is even preferred that
such systems should be owned and led by key stakeholders in the country so that external
stakeholders such as donors do not enforce their interests [52]. Elements such as determining
what is to be evaluated, which evaluation questions must be asked, which methods should be
used and which analytical approaches should be employed are important for countries to own
and control. In addition, the manner in which M&E findings are communicated, shared and
used is supposed to be in the jurisdiction of the government and its internal structures.
DEMAND AND SUPPLY SIDES OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEMS
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems comprise two parts: the supply side and demand
side. From the supply side, information that feeds into decision-making processes is
generated and disseminated to those that use it on the demand side of the system. Therefore,
a good match is required between the supply and demand sides when building and sustaining
systems for M&E [16, 17, 48].
The supply side involves human skills and capacity development, including adapting
appropriate technologies and tools and supporting institutional frameworks [15]. In other
words, the supply side of an M&E system generally refers to a range of systemic and
institutional aspects such as data collection, capacity, sequencing, leadership, coordination,
regulation and oversight [42]. Further, the demand side is concerned with the use of M&E
information by actors that include governmental agencies, parliaments, NGOs, civil society
organisations, research institutions, universities, the donor community and the general
population [23, 42,24]. Similarly, this means that the ways in which these entities are involved
to stimulate demand for information could be useful in strengthening the demand side of an
M&E system [3,47]. Therefore, care should be taken by ensuring that M&E standards,
procedures, tools and principles conform to local requirements. For instance, indicator
choices are better developed when they are anchored on country-specific values and norms.