BY HIZKEL HAILU
Ethiopia is undertaking an all-round reform in the political, social and economic spheres. As part of this, the Plan and Development Commission has prepared a 10-year Economic Development Plan under the theme ‘Ethiopia: An African Beacon of Prosperity’.
It has also been a while since the Commission started
to gather inputs for the plan by organizing discussion forums with stakeholders
and diplomats. It had also been gathering sectoral proposals to be included in
the national economic plan. As the Growth and Transformation has come to its
conclusion, there is a need for another development plan to reinforce economic
growth.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that the major aims of the new plan are ensuring economic growth which is private-sector-led, increasing production and competitiveness, building a green and climate-resilient economy and bringing about institutional transformation. It also envisions ensuring fair and equitable opportunities for women and youth across the country.
According to Fitsum Assefa (PhD), Plan and Development Commission Commissioner, the government has developed this perspective plan based on the demand of the country and the execution performance of previous plans, the nation’s vision for 2030, National Policies and Strategies, as well as the various International and Continental agreements.
The government was criticized for the fact that the previous development plan, which is the Growth and Transformation Plans (GTPs), lacked adequate monitoring and follow-up mechanisms during its implementation. Several megaprojects, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), experienced delays which in turn forced the country to incur an additional cost.
Cognizant of this fact, the commission has also prepared a system for effective monitoring and follow up mechanism to oversee the implementation of the current plan.
As to her, the plan requires a result-oriented monitoring and evaluation system for better achievement. It is different from the previous national plans as it is believed to bring about visible changes in the living standards of citizens.
Holding a joint discussion with chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the House of Peoples’ Representatives about the plan to be ratified by HPR, the commission stated that it has prepared building blocks for further implementation of the Plan.
Briefing journalists on the issue, Fitsum vowed that the plan which aims to make Ethiopia competent and resilient is prepared in a way to make it easier for any party that wins the coming elections and holds office to adopt and implement it.
“The plan is prepared by taking the specific contexts and interests of the country rather than the interests of a single party. That is why various discussions have been held with different stakeholders including politicians to clear confusions and create consensus on the document,” she said. The plan has also been ratified by the council of ministries after detailed discussion.
Recalling that ensuring sustainable growth and development is among the pillars, she stated that it aims at uplifting financial sector accessibility in rural areas to embolden the public’s saving culture and encouraging enterprises and corporations to invest in the manufacturing sector.
Moreover, another pillar of the economic plan is its vision to make the private sector take the leading role in the economy. This pillar comprises designing and applying the private sector development strategy to make sure that the private sector takes a leading role and domestic investors play a critical role in the process.
The commission has developed an automated reporting system for every public institution from the ministerial to district levels in order to avoid data discrepancy; she said adding that “the commission has also prepared a strong monitoring and evaluation guideline.”
While discussing the Master Reporting System, House of Peoples’ Representatives Speaker Tagesse Chafo stated that a smooth plan and report system is essential in order to achieve the plan.
He further added that running result-oriented activities and preparing common standards of institutional building to ensure the proper implementation of the plan will lead institutions to attain the desired goal.
“Despite having varied form of structures, institutions are required to set up a strong monitoring, evaluation and reporting system and work effectively to respond to the people’s demand for development,” he said.
Understanding that monitoring and evaluation matrix has a pivotal role in strengthening sustainable national, continental and international development goals of Ethiopia, he called upon the public sectors to move in unison to effectively respond to the queries of the public.
Presenting a paper about monitoring and evaluation matrix of the 10 years Development Plan, the Commission’s Deputy Commissioner Endalkachew Simie highlighted that the matrix has paramount importance in bringing about structural transformation, assuring citizens’ benefit and safety thereby building a prosperous nation.
According to him, the monitoring and evaluation matrix includes different sectors, among others, are those that are engaged in macroeconomy, infrastructure, social development, legal services, environmental protection, and climate change. The matrix is vital in presenting evidence-based and tangible reports, he noted.
Explaining the importance of strong monitoring and evaluation system, the deputy commissioner said that while many countries engage in vast development activities by investing their scarce resource, they failed to bring about the desired results as they fail to put in place an effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism.
Besides making sure that things are progressing at the right direction or not, he said, it is the only tool that will help the government to increase efficiency, effectiveness and relevance and sustainability in development activities.
By the same token, Zerihun Kebede, Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Technology and Innovation and Gebre Alamne, Computing and Analytics Directorate Director at the Institute agreed on the significance of the monitoring and evaluation system.
According to them, the monitoring and evaluation system is a ten-year planning plan portal and is a digital conversion and automation system. Among the benefits are the ability for monitoring and evaluating key development and performance indicators, ensuring informed decision-making and accountability, saving time and resources and serving as a starting point for good practice parallel with providing accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information.
Discussing the ten-year development plan’s monitoring and evaluation process, Solomon Tesselassie, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation Bureau at the Commission said the system will facilitate a better implementation of the plan. As to him, The Digital Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting System (D- MRS) is part of the description.
He said the development plan monitoring and evaluation will be effective if the plan is implemented in a timely manner, adding that it is appropriate to deploy a modern information management system (MIS) to the lower levels of government to make the monitoring and evaluation system integrated and consistent.
In addition, the main function of the monitoring and evaluation system is to serve as a framework for the implementation of the development plan implementation monitoring and evaluation framework, and will provide performance and reporting, he underscored.
Participants ultimately agreed that actions should be taken against institutions which experience shortcomings in due course of running activities in line with the proposed “one plan and one report” format.
Appreciating the matrix which is prepared by the Commission, Tagesse Chafo further called on all stakeholders to work hand in glove for the successful implementation of the system in accordance with ensuring the fair and equitable development to all Ethiopians.
The Ethiopian herald February 19/2021
