The overall goal of RFSP M & E is to provide timely, adequate and reliable physical, financial progress information, processes and impact information to the PMU, ZMUs and Programme Steering Committee (PSC).

Its specific objectives include

• To have a fully operating M&E system that would give the financiers, actors and GOT a full picture of the progress of the programme and enable authorities to make viable modifications as and when exigencies arise.
• Recruitment of M&E local and international staff through an open competitive selection
• To undertake full financed annual Zonal and national M&E workshops
• Procurement of local and international TA services for development and annual upgrading of RFSP, MIS and M & E system.
• Procurement of computer sets and reliable transport (4x4-db-pickup) for the PMU and two zones.
• Procurement of local consultants services for programme baseline study and participatory Planning workshops

The requirements and strategies for success for M & E would include

• The design of a system as a priority to be undertaken in the initial six months of PY1 and fine-tuned in PY2 by international and local TA identified and contracted during the SOF period;
• Focus its design around in response to the needs of the stakeholders including beneficiaries, participating institutions, GOT , CI and IFAD;
• Include separately the resource –use control-oriented functions from the outreach, effect and impact oriented M&E functions within the system; and
• Include flexibility within the system initiated and the RFSP M&E budget to allow the introduction of methods to be included in the forthcoming IFAD office of Evaluation (OE) Reference Manual and the revised IFAD guiding principles on M&E to be produced during 2000 – 2002.
• Availability of clear data collection instruments
• Willingness and timely submission of information
• Frequent and well planned seminars and workshops
• A good MIS and
• Regular feedback to and from grassroot actors

The overall responsibility of monitoring this component rests with the PMU and especially the M& E Specialist.

• M&E Approach: The proposed approach to M&E is based on three key considerations of simplicity, adequacy and cost effectiveness. Simplicity is required given that human resource capacities are presently insufficient to implement a more complex system . Adequacy is required to ensure that only relevant data and information is collected, processed and analyzed; and cost-effectiveness is required, as financial resources are limited. As such, M&E shall be based on both quantitative and qualitative information and data collection and will use participatory methodologies thereby encouraging solidarity groups (SGs), Grassroots micro finance Institutions (MFIs), Financial institutions (FIs) and contracted parties to assess implementation progress and results in terms relevant to them.
• Whereas, the proposed M&E activities will fit within the overall organisation of the Programme through a decentralised and participatory M&E framework, a team approach to M&E will be used at districts level based on joint site visits, data collection and collaborative analysis. All stakeholders will collaborate within the districts RFSP – sub-committees to develop a multi-sectoral approach to monitoring and joint sense of responsibility for successful monitoring.
• Regular reference to the Dynamic Logical Framework which sets out key feature – integrated indicators, providing quantitative and qualitative details on component and sub-component’s objectives will be another key feature of RFSP –M&E approach. Monitoring within the Dynamic Logical Framework will initially focus on achievements of outputs and activity-level indicators, their means of verification and leading indicators. The range of information required to monitor these achievements will cover:
  • The physical delivery of capacity building services for SGs, grassroots MFIs; and FIs with related costs.
  • Membership and share build-ups, savings mobilization and lending services by the targeted population using MFIs best practices criteria to measure progress; and
  • The social, economic and environmental reasons for unexpected reaction by the target group to the use of SGs, MFIs and FIs products end services.

RFSP M&E is at all levels of coordination and implementation as follows:

• All contracted implementing partners are required to submit brief monthly and quarterly reports in a format to be included as annexes to contracts;
• The PMU, M&E Specialist, ZMUs and M&E officers compile consolidated quarterly overview summaries of RFSP progress covering; physical progress measures and targets for the next quarter; qualitative assessment of progress with MFIs capacity building, training courses, procurements and disbursements, staff movements and other issues;
• The PMU produces annual M&E in the last quarter of the year to match with AWPBs produced following an annual participant workshop and submit them to CI and IFAD who will after reviewing provide appropriate comments;
• Annual workshops held at Zonal and national levels discuss an overall progress and prepare AWPBs. The participants will include representatives from all PSC member organisations and participating institutions, MFIs representatives recommended by beneficiary MFI chairperson. One of the bi-annual supervision visits of the CI will coincide with the national annual review workshop to facilitate feedback and coordination.