The Governance Support Programme (GSP) aimed at improving the framework conditions for coherent, coordinated and evidence-based policy implementation within the multi-level system of South African government.
The project formed part of the GSP and supported the harmonisation of country-wide monitoring systems and frameworks which measure the performance of municipalities.
The support initiative applied a threefold approach:
1. Support to the harmonisation of frameworks and systems through assessments of the existing systems, the development of improved frameworks and systems with a stronger focus on outcomes and impacts and the development and harmonization of quality data, indicators, standards and tools.
2. Support to the improvement of communication, cooperation and coordination between the different implementing partners. This included assessments of current vertical and horizontal communication and information flows and their optimization, support to institutional change processes, support to the steering of the harmonization process, and support to other aspects of organizational development as necessary.
3. Capacity Development at individual level to strengthen the understanding and technical mastering of professional M&E. This included capacity assessments, training measures to strengthen technical skills, exchange visits and knowledge transfer.
In order to achieve the three results, the project was implemented along seven work streams:
1. Define roles and responsibilities as well as work flows with regard to M&E on the different government levels;
2. Operationalize the strategy for service delivery at the local government level (Outcome 9 of the South African National Development Plan) and define indicators in order to make results measurable;
3. Redesign M&E practices and align M&E frameworks horizontally at national level and vertically across the three government levels;
4. Align M&E reporting practices and requirements;
5. Integrate different M&E systems;
6. Develop data governance and M&E information standards;
7. Develop interfaces to facilitate data integration between the developed data collector and current M&E systems.
The project could demonstrate via the development of a prototype that data and processes of Outcome 9 of the South African National Development Plan can be harmonised through their operationalisation into results and indicators and the design of a joint M&E system. The approach was tested in selected municipalities in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces.