Nmjd Staff Return From Ghana

NMJD Staff Return From Ghana

NMJD has taken the lead in ensuring active civil society participation in the development, implementation and monitoring of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper of Sierra Leone. It has already, in collaboration with the UNDP and PASCO, organized nation-wide district level sensitization of civil society groups and the poor on the content of the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.

In preparation for the long-term engagement in the PRS Process, NMJD sent two of its programme staff (Ms Josephine Kenneh and Morlai Kamara) to participate in a training programme in Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) for HIPC-funded programmes in the northern regional headquarter town of Tamale, Ghana from 2-5 July 2003.

The training was organized by SEND Foundation, a leading NGO working on the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRSP), and one that also leads a coalition of civil society groups monitoring HIPC-funded projects in the northern region of Ghana. Participants were also drawn from civil society groups in Ghana.

The exercise was climaxed by the launching of a PME Manual for the GPRSP. Participants were also trained in the use of the Manual. The key monitoring indicators considered are transparency, equity and accountability. In Ghana, CSOs are at the stage of monitoring the HIPC and the first review meeting is scheduled for September 2003.