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