ZIMBABWE has stepped up efforts to track implementation of developmental projects with stakeholders gathering for the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Week, which kicked off in Harare this Monday.
In a show of inclusive development through accountability, the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) is serving as a platform for the government to engage the private sector, development partners, and experts in formulating strategies towards the achievement of an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
In his welcome remarks for the MEL Week, the Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Social Services, Reverend Paul Damasane, said the platform seeks to consolidate development gains.
“This is a crucial step towards the sustainable thrust of the economy taking into account the need to facilitate growth of the economy, we hope that deliberations of the MEL Week will further unearth salient issues of community development, Zimbabwe in pursuit of Vision 2030 is working with two Mid Term plans namely, NDS1 and NDS2, the implementation of the economy blue prints offer more success stories unless their performance is capable of being measured and precisely reported by way of results frameworks sound key performance indicators, collection of data, reporting and dissemination of evidence based information, the implementation of impactful programmes and projects and their timely completion hinges on a robust M and E system capable of offering feedback for decision making,” he said.
Stakeholder commitment towards sustainable development has been cited as an important element in development aspirations.
“We have got issues of no poverty, zero hunger, good health, several issues, but the bottom line is to achieve a sound or prudent fiscal and monetary policy through reforms to achieve sustainable development, as we are coming from NDS1. We need to embrace and implement several policies. Fiscal policy, in simple terms, is how the government can use levers of expenditure and taxes to foster growth, consumption, investment, and government expenditure, as well as the external sector, all of which influence the development matrix of the economy.
The government is the major spender in the economy that has to be balanced through measures towards moving the economy ahead, monetary policy on its own needs to be complemented by the fiscal policies to sustain growth, a real justification for the government to move the economy ahead,” Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Deputy Director, Economic Research. Dr Nicholas Masiyandima noted.
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to tracking projects.
“This platform, which begins on Monday and runs through Friday, is being held at the most crucial terms as we embrace the significance of Monitoring to assess the need for sustainable development, which is tailor-made towards increasing incomes and employment while easing poverty.
“The overall focus is to engage all stakeholders, review current projects, identify the shortfalls, and come up with long-lasting solutions that are focused on facilitating production and generating more income, which is very important. Evaluation of projects comes with its advantages for example if a project is effectively monitored it becomes more imperative to manage the economy and lay the foundation for development that seeks to foster the needs of the present generation and future aspirations of the societies,” Secretary for National Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in the Office of the Special Advisor to the President, Ms Fananayi Madambi added.
The MEL Week is being held when the Second Republic has achieved milestones on inclusive economic growth driven by massive infrastructure projects.
