Planning to Develop: The Role of Monitoring and Evaluation

Against the background of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals, it is evident that there is a global will to make a success of the development process across countries. However, individual countries need a will to prepare for sustainable development. This speaks to the inevitable role of national development planning in the development process.


While embracing market liberalization strategies and other popular policy propositions of international financial institutions, for instance, governments must keep in mind that the market does not have all the answers. Particularly so in developing countries of Africa where living standards are low, institutional frameworks are weak, income inequality is high and in-country spatial inequality is widespread.

Zambia is one African country among several which has experienced woes associated with a blind adoption of ‘Invisible Hand’ policy options. Its fourth development plan was aborted at a point when it felt the time was ripe to turn economic governance over to the market mechanism. 

This singular action resulted in a lack of coordination of planning activities and poor economic performance amongst other things, such that 50 years after its independence Zambia is still a lower-middle income country.

With its lessons learnt, planning activities have resumed in Zambia and its sixth national development plan over the period 2011-2015,which is set within the framework of a perspective plan, is underway. Zambia’s Vision 2030 is to be a prosperous middle income country by 2030 with several set priorities within the plan framework.

While doing a comparison of the Nigerian and Zambian development planning experience, I note similar fallbacks in their unique experiences. For instance, for a long time in the planning horizons of Nigeria and Zambia, neither country set its medium term plans within the framework of perspective plans.

Like Zambia, Nigeria has a perspective plan ‘Vision 20:2020’ to be amongst the top 20 economies of the world with a minimum GDP of US$900 billion and a per capita income of no less than US$4000 per annum by 2020.

Even though it is important to have development plans that are comprehensive and state measurable objectives and targets, development planning is not a sufficient condition for achieving desirable development objectives.

Governments must be committed to the timely monitoring of plan implementation processes and evaluation of their impact on socio-economic and development indicators.


The discussion continues…

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