Cross River govt launches M&E policy to strengthen accountability

The Cross River State Government has launched a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Policy aimed at strengthening accountability, transparency, evidence-based decision-making and public service delivery across the state.

Governor Bassey Otu, who formally launched the policy in Calabar on Wednesday, said the framework would ensure that government policies, programmes and projects were assessed based on their measurable impact on citizens’ lives rather than merely on activities undertaken or projects initiated.

Otu, represented by Dr Bong Duke, Vice Chairman of the Cross River State Planning Commission, said the policy would establish a coordinated and effective system for monitoring and evaluating government programmes across ministries, departments, agencies and the 18 local government councils.

According to him, the policy is aligned with the Cross River State Development Plan 2024–2033 and is designed to strengthen the link between planning, budgeting, implementation and results.

“Our administration is guided by the belief that governance must be measured, not merely by the number of projects initiated or activities undertaken, but by the positive and lasting impact they make in the lives of our people,” the governor said.

He said the policy would establish clearer performance indicators, improve the quality of government reports, strengthen data systems and ensure that findings from monitoring and evaluation were used to guide planning, budgeting and programme implementation.

Otu stressed that public expenditure must translate into tangible benefits for citizens, whether in roads, healthcare, education, agriculture, social protection, environmental sustainability or economic development.

He said monitoring and evaluation should not be treated as an administrative requirement or a tool for intimidating public officers, but as an instrument for identifying challenges, learning from experience and improving government performance.

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The governor also said the framework would pay particular attention to children, women and girls, persons with disabilities, rural communities and other vulnerable groups who often face barriers to accessing public services and development opportunities.

He called on ministries, departments and agencies, local government councils, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to work together to ensure the effective implementation of the policy.

Otu said the state would focus on strengthening the capacity of M&E officers, improving the quality and reliability of data, establishing effective reporting and coordination mechanisms, and ensuring that evaluation findings informed government decisions.

Earlier, Maureen Zubie-Okolo, Planning and Monitoring Specialist at UNICEF, who represented Juliet Chiluwe, Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in Enugu, said the policy provided a practical framework for tracking the State Development Plan and translating public investments into measurable improvements in people’s lives.

Zubie-Okolo said UNICEF was pleased to have provided technical and financial support for the development of the policy, which she said was informed by a needs assessment and consultations with the government, civil society and development partners.

She said the policy adapted the National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy to reflect the realities of Cross River State while linking local priorities with national development objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals.

According to her, the framework would address fragmented and underfunded monitoring arrangements by providing a coordinated system for tracking results across state and local governments.

She said its emphasis on disaggregated data and child-sensitive indicators would help identify inequalities and guide corrective actions, while participatory monitoring and accessible feedback mechanisms would give communities a greater voice in assessing public services.

Zubie-Okolo identified planning, coordination, capacity building and financing as four key priorities of the policy, stressing that successful implementation would require trained personnel, reliable information systems and sustained funding.

She urged stakeholders to move beyond measuring activities completed and funds spent to assessing whether government interventions were producing meaningful outcomes.

“We must look beyond activities completed and funds spent to ask: Are children healthier? Are they learning better? Are they better provided for? Are they better protected?” she said.

Also speaking on the roadmap, key findings from the needs assessment and recommendations for the policy, Dr Ofem Obono Oka, Chief Planning Officer at the State Planning Commission, who represented Dr Felix Eke, said implementation would take into consideration the four pillars of the State Development Plan: governance and institutions, the economy, the environment and social sectors.

She said the policy would support improved planning and budgeting, better coordination of projects and programmes, and the adequate mobilisation and utilisation of resources.

Oka urged stakeholders to leverage the provisions of the policy to strengthen their capacity in monitoring and evaluation for greater accountability and more efficient service delivery.