A two-week training programme for stakeholders engaged in Monitoring and Evaluation is underway in Accra to shape their skills and knowledge for enhanced performance.

The programme, dubbed; “Harmattan School,” is hosted by the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), in collaboration with the Centres for Learning on Evaluation and Results, Anglophone Africa (CLEAR AA), University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, the Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, said the training was also to enhance results-based monitoring and evaluation to assist the Ministry to play its role diligently and effectively.

He said government created the new Ministry to oversee the implementation and delivery of government policies and programmes and results derived from real-time monitoring.

He said the training would bring to the authorities’ attention the implementation process to unblock obstacles that prevented efficient delivery of government programmes and results.

Dr Akoto Osei said his membership with the Economic Management Team, chaired by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and membership of Cabinet, clearly showed the importance government attached to performance monitoring, evidence-based decision making, oversight and accountability.

“With your support as professionals, we intend to prepare regular implementation and performance reports and submit them to the President and the Cabinet as inputs to key policies and programmes,” he said.

Dr Akoto Osei said the Ministry was determined to influencing government’s decision-making processes derived from best practices, which and departs from the business as usual approach that had, in the past, characterised public sector management in the country.

“We believe in collaborative learning and adapting and very much look forward to working with all of you to institutionalise results-based management and evaluative thinking in the management of public resources.’’

Mrs Candice Morkel, the Senior Technical Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at CLEAR AA, said building the capacity of the state to design, develop, manage and implement national systems was at the centre of CLEAR’s work.

She called for continuous partnership with African universities to drive the agenda to develop strategic synergies to build a robust and sustainable monitoring and evaluation systems on the African Continent.

Professor Philip Bondzi-Simpson, the Rector of GIMPA, urged participants to take advantage of the programme to learn from each other and develop networks to improve service delivery.