Rome, 15 March 2022 – Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is a powerful public management tool that can be used to improve the way governments and organisations achieve results. Thus, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based M&E of policies, programme outcomes and project results that aim to forward sustainable socioeconomic development in Africa, as well as across the globe. Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), made this point in his presentation during the inaugural lunch of the Regent Business School Journal Club, on 15 March 2022.

In a globalised world, there are growing pressures on governments and organisations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability, transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. In response, most countries in Africa have put forward strategies to reform their governance frameworks as part of national development plans, and to a lesser extent as part of anti-corruption strategies or efforts to improve governance, accountability and transparency. However, progress has been uneven between countries and challenges remain in several areas, such as public service delivery, insufficient checks and balances, high levels of corruption and inequality.

Reflecting on the National Evaluation Capacity (NEC) series – which grew to become the largest UN evaluation capacity building event by country participation, under his leadership – Dr Naidoo underscored that evaluation capacity building at the country level is a collaborative effort. This effort should encourage the public sector to pursue and sustain excellence in basic services provision with specific reference to service standards, accountability and transparency. As such, M&E systems should act as critical development tools that enhance the legitimacy of governments by holding them accountable, and ensure a more transparent public service.

The Regent Business School Journal Club is an educational platform in which a group of individuals (academics, researchers and students) discuss published articles, to keep themselves abreast of new knowledge, promoting in them the awareness of current research findings, teaching them to critique and appraise research, and encourage them to utilise critical outcomes of the discussions for their own research, and teaching and learning applications. The event has been established as an extramural activity for Staff, Students, Alumni and other invited guests.

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• RELATED NEWS: Press release in the Cape Times [here]