By Ronald Joe Morovia

The ECOWAS Commission has commenced a 4-day program management training for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Experts drawn from countries within the region.

Strengthening and deepening results based management in the West Africa region is a key priority for the Commission.

The training which is being hosted at the Atlantic Lumley hostel in Freetown seeks to better position Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Experts in the implementation of the Commission’s new development blueprint.

Head of ECOWAS National Office, Mamie-Miatta Kallondescribed the opportunity of hosting such an important training programme for Member States, in Freetown as a landmark for Sierra Leone.

She said the training is a demonstration of the ECOWAS Commission’s commitment to ensuring that Member States are at the center of implementation of the new ECOWAS Development Blue Print, the Vision 2050.

She continued that the 4-day training in Programme Management for Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation Experts is very crucial in enhancing policy and value for money in the implementation of the Commission’s national development programmes.

She said it also ensures the seamless domestication and implementation of the ECOWAS Vision 2050 at national levels.

“The knowledge gained here will be very instrumental in the development of a clear implementation arrangement with a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation framework for the new development blue print’’ she advised. 

Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Finda Koromanoted the training is part of steps taken by the Commission to improve planning, programming, monitoring and evaluation across ECOWAS institutions, in close collaboration with the national experts on planning, monitoring and evaluation from member states.

The training she continued is also in line with the first in history Monitoring and Evaluation Policy developed by the Commission which has made monitoring and evaluation mandatory for all community projects implemented by ECOWA institutions.

In order to operationalise the ECOWAS M&E Policy, the Commission has commenced the process of developing the ECOWAS strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation handbook with support from GIZ.

Once finalised, the handbook will harmonise the processes, procedures and tools of conducting planning, monitoring and evaluation across community institutions.

The training will further expose national experts to the dynamic approaches and methodologies in the domain of planning, monitoring and evaluation.

It is to better position experts to accompany the Commission in the process of the implementation of its strategic documents and ensure the alignment of national development plans to the ECOWAS development blueprint.