The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) together with the National Planning Authority (NPA) have commenced a training on the use of the National Development Plan (NDP) web-based Monitoring and Evaluation(M&E) system.
The M&E system which was launched in July 2021 by the Prime Minister, and developed with technical assistance from the European Union (EU), has undergone several stages of development with key functionalities ready for implementation.
As a requirement to operationalize the system, users are required to be trained to perform their role of data entry, validation, reporting and data analysis which is core objective of the training. The training is taking place from 16 to 18th May, 2022.The participants in the training are from all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The system is expected to contribute to the satisfactory implementation of the NDP through enhanced and timely access to information on progress made, thereby strengthening accountability for results, knowledge management, harmonization and coordination of quality data. The system will consequentially support stakeholder engagement in reform and implementation processes.
The following key reports will be generated from the system.
- Government Annual and Half Annual Performance Reports (GAPR & GHAPR). The reports provide analysis of the performance of sectors, and MDAs against the national budgetary resource allocations.
- The report on and Certificate of Compliance of the budget to the NDP. This report provides analysis of the alignment of the budgets to the NDP.
- National Development Report (NDR). The NDR provides a review of the progress made towards achievement of NDP goals, objectives, programmes and corresponding targets.
- Manpower, Skills and Employment Status Report. This report will provide progress on the number of jobs created, skills developed and skills required in the short and medium term, it will be produced and disseminated after every two years.
- Annual MDA/LG Performance Reports. These reports will provide annual progress on implementation of the NDP results by the respective MDAs and LGs.
These reports are essential for production of the report on the performance of government against the ruling party Manifesto as a way of making accountability to Ugandans.
Three levels of user access are defined in the system.
Level 3 is the highest-level of access to the system. Users that belong to this category will manage and configure the system, assign rights to the MDA users and have full access to all the modules of the system, among others. While, Level 2 is the mid-level of access to the system. It provides access to both input and output modules and these users will be tasked with entering data into the system. Level 1 is the lowest possible access to system and it provides viewing rights to these users. They will not be able to input or edit data but rather view data in the system and generate reports.
OPM is a level 3 user that has unrestricted access and the overall control of system. The other level 3 users of the system include the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) and NPA.
The M&E system is a key NDPIII reform and is set to become an integral cog in the quest to realize Uganda’s economic aspirations as highlighted in the Uganda Vision 2040, of “A Transformed Ugandan Society from a Peasant to a Modern and Prosperous Country within 30 years”
The Goal of the third NDP is “Increased Household Incomes and Improved Quality of Life of Ugandans.” This goal is to be achieved under the overall theme of “Sustainable Industrialization for inclusive growth, employment and sustainable wealth creation”.
The key objectives of NDPIII are: enhance value addition in key growth opportunities; strengthen the private sector capacity to drive growth and create jobs; consolidate and increase the stock and quality of productive infrastructure; enhance the productivity and social wellbeing of the population; and strengthen the role of the state in guiding and facilitating development.
The Plan has laid out 18 programs that comprehensively cover the development issues we face as a country. Two additional programs (Judiciary and Legislature) have been developed by splitting one of the programs on governance and security, bringing the number to 20 programs.
By 2025, effective implementation of these programs is expected to lead to: average economic growth rate of 6.2 percent; increase income per capita to USD 1,301; lower poverty rate to 18.5 percent; reduce income inequality (gini-coefficient) to 0.37; and further improve health and education outcomes of the population.
The NDPIII programme implementation architecture provides a coordinated framework to focus on delivery of common results and reduce ‘silo’ working modalities and enhance synergies. Also, among the key implementation reforms in the NDPIII is the need for Government to digitalize and roll out e-services to all sectors, MDAs and Local Governments and be able to harness the potential of ICT.
The EU has pledged its support for the implementation of the M&E system in the first two years.
Therefore, the training will equip participants with the various M&E processes of government in an effort to improve assessing progress, facilitating accountability, generating baselines, designing projects and plans, generating national accounts, research and advocacy by sectors, local governments, private sector, academia, civil society and the general public.