Regional Committee Agree Parameters for Baseline Data On Evaluation of ECOWAS Programmes

13 July 2012
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Lagos - Nigeria — An inter-institutional Steering Committee has agreed the parameters  for the baseline data to guide the evaluation of the efficacy of ECOWAS programmes in meeting the objectives of the regional strategic plan for realizing a citizen-centered Community.

At the end of a two-day meeting which ended on Friday, 13th July 2012 in Lagos, the committee endorsed the methodology adopted by a  consultant for selecting projects for which a reference framework  would be created and used for measuring programme performance. The committee also suggested the expansion of the exercise to include  other ECOWAS institutions to ensure the development of parameters that  reflect the diversity of functions.

The regional strategic plan emanates from the six priorities contained  in the Community's Vision 2020 document through which citizen-driven  ECOWAS programmes and projects could be realized. This is to enable the ECOWAS Commission and other Community institutions comply with the six strategic priorities for realizing the Vision 2020.

Under the strategic plan, the Community has committed to the promotion of good governance; creation of a competitive business environment,  sustained development and regional cooperation, deepening economic and monetary integration, reinforcing institutional capacity building and  strengthening the mechanism for inserting the region into the global economy.

The plan will also enable the ECOWAS Commission and other community institutions to comply with the six strategic priorities for realizing the 2020 Vision.

The recommendations of the consultant were contained in the report of the first phase of the study which will equip the Community with the  mechanism for effective evaluation of regional integration programmes.

The first phase of the study was launched in April 2012 and the first meeting of the Steering Committee validated the methodology adopted to > identify the objective criteria for the selection of key programmes or projects which would form the basis for establishing a reference framework for the evaluation.

The just-ended second meeting of the Committee reviewed the report of the inaugural study, and addressed identified shortcomings with a view to advising on the way forward for the second phase of the study.

The Lagos meeting approved a road map for the six-month second phase which would end in December 2012. During this period, the consultant is expected to process collected data from all ECOWAS institutions and specialized agencies and present the results in the final baseline framework.

The study was supported by GIZ, the German Cooperation for Development  and coordinated by the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit in the office of the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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