The minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Nanono has called on project and programme monitoring and evaluation officers in the ministry to recommit themselves to the attainment of the ministry’s mandate through effective projects monitoring and evaluation.
The minister in a keynote address at an interactive meeting on monitoring and evaluation organised by the ministry in Abuja yesterday, said whatever encumbrances to effective monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes is a challenge that must be surmounted if the ministry must attain the mandate assigned it.
Nanono while charging the participants to adopt an integrated approach to project monitoring and evaluation, said the interactive meeting provides an opportunity to take stock of the progress made in the implementation of 2019 priority projects of the ministry.
According to him, “There is need for an integrated approach to project monitoring and evaluation. Collaboration is also necessary among projects and programmes departments, zonal and state offices as well as the department of policy and planning coordination saddled with projects monitoring and evaluation in the ministry among others.”
The minister expressed confidence that the ministry will record better strides in the months ahead if everybody commits to vigorously and consistently pursue the mandate assigned the ministry.
In his remarks, the permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr Abdulkadir Mu’azu, said the meeting was to ensure that headquarters as well as the zonal and state offices including other stakeholders in projects implementation are on the same page with regards to expectations of the ministry on projects monitoring and evaluation.
He said, “This meeting will provide opportunity for reflection on the present state of projects monitoring and evaluation in the ministry especially the delivery of 2019 capital projects and lay foundation for improved projects monitoring and evaluation in the current financial year.”
He acknowledged the fact the ministry made appreciable progress in the implementation and ultimate delivery of agricultural projects across the country in the year under review, “But in order to consolidate on this achievement in the current financial year and in line with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), I have directed all departments and units in the ministry to align their activities to the agriculture-specific 2019-2023 priority projects, programmes and deliverables handed down as key mandate to the ministry by government.”
It would be recalled that just a few weeks ago, the ministry held similar interactive meeting with contractors handling projects for the ministry.
At that meeting, the permanent secretary, Dr Mu’azu warned that government will no longer pay for projects that fall short of the specifications.
This meeting was attended by line directors, zonal directors, state coordinators, heads of units including most senior projects/planning officers from the six zonal and 36 state offices and the federal Capital Territory (FCT) who represent the ministry in the various zones and states.