Evaluation of Project Performance and Impact
Monitoring and Evaluation
To-date no organized monitoring and evaluation
(M&E) or management information system has been put in
place. While some monitoring does occur, it is haphazard and
does not provide project management with the information necessary
to make informed and timely decisions. Even though the project
has now been operating for three years, no baseline surveys
have been carried out. For a project that relies predominantly
on third-party implementation, effective monitoring is critical
in order to ensure that the project is achieving its objectives
and targets and is resulting in the desired impact.
Performance Monitoring Indicators
As specified in the IFAD Loan Agreements,
64 performance monitoring indicators were listed in
the first project appraisal report – reproduced as part of
the IFAD Loan Agreement – as triggers from the first to the
second phase of the project. While the number is quite daunting,
many are only early preconditions to implementation of activities,
others are intermediate institutional events that facilitate
project actions in the current phase and many are linked to
the achievement of training, orientation and participatory
processes in the first phase. A few are directed specifically
at construction/establishment of infrastructure or the purchase
of equipment. In order to deal with them in a way that facilitates
a practical decision regarding the transition from Phase I
to Phase II, the indicators have been grouped into two
broad categories, those dealing with:
· Actions that facilitate delivery of
project investments and provision of project services to the
people, including (i) necessary preconditions for
project implementation (such as ‘PCU and the Steering Committees
are established’, ‘contracts with N-NGOs have been negotiated’,
or ‘agreement with ISAR has been signed’); (ii) training,
planning and orientation necessary to facilitate implementation
of a component or activity (such as training of province/district/sector
staff, training of community development committees, ‘one
third of [functional literacy] programme implemented’, or
‘60 CDCs have implemented PRAs’); (iii) formation of
groups or associations needed to ensure operation and maintenance
of infrastructure (such as ‘ water committees have been established
… for 100% of boreholes’, ‘at least one women’s group has
been formed in each one of 60 cells’, or ‘farmers groups mobilized
for nomination of candidates [for inclusion in para-vet programme]
); and (iv) preparation of feasibility studies including
master plans (such as those for water, livestock and forestry).
· realization of investments, services
and other project ‘deliverables’, including, for example:
‘at least 200 km (of feeder roads) have been commissioned’,
‘40 technology tests on farmers fields have been initiated’,
‘200 successful boreholes have been equipped’, ‘6 women’s
halls have been constructed’, or ‘at least one third of new
water points have been constructed’.
While the picture is not uniform, it can
be said that the project has been successful in achieving
the first group of indicators. The participatory planning
programme has been completed in all eight districts, key staff
have been trained, most PRAs have been completed and subsequent
district development plans have been prepared in practically
all district with the few remaining districts currently in
the process of finalizing theirs. While there has been less
progress in forming the associations and groups required to
manage project investments in infrastructure and to implement
agricultural programmes, this process is now under way and
groups and associations are being formed. In terms of the
preparation of feasibility studies and in particular master
plans, the project has made good progress and a water master
plan, forestry master plan and livestock master plan are now
available and provide the basis for rational project investment
in these sectors.
Therefore, in summary, it can be said that
in spite of the fact that a significant portion of the 64
indicators have not been met or only partially met, the majority
of the ones needed to facilitate project implementation and
delivery of project investment and services in the second
phase have been achieved. Status of each of these 64 indicators
is attached to this document.
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