CONGRATULATIONS to those who would have toiled day and night to see this change become a reality. It was their efforts that ensured victory on Monday, May 11, 2015. Guyana is now in “the dawn of a new Era”. As we embrace our fortunes with a Government of National Unity, citizens must remain vigilant, for complacency created conditions for nepotism, corruption and lack of accountability under the previous Administration.

Welcoming the new Cabinet, clarification is still being sought on the roles and responsibilities of these ministries and their designated political appointees. I foresee this will happen shortly, so it is imperative that the issue of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of ministries and their implementing agencies be addressed.

During the tenure of the PPP/C Administration, they had embarked on a series of M&E training for various ministries and aligned agencies. This project was, from my initial recollection, donor-funded. This project was treated like any other donor-funded activity under that administration; “execute now and worry about deliverables later.”

The training was executed. However, the M&E units of the various ministries were never properly staffed and henceforth like all other initiatives to improve efficiency of Government business, it remained dormant until a need was aroused. The module and training materials used during that process are now tucked away in the book cases in offices of those ministries and agency heads, just to occupy space.

Government ministries and their implementing agencies must understand the importance of an effectively functioning M&E unit, since these units support evidence-based decision and policy-making. Therefore, any Government interested in good governance would seek to ensure that those units are functioning within their designated ministries, especially to track the progress, outcomes and impact of Government’s policies, projects and programmes.

As our new ministers take up their portfolios and begin to execute the people’s business, I look forward to the news of fully functional M&E units within those ministries and further establishment of units in relevant, implementing agencies.

DENNIS MAYERS