MCA Ghana Projects
Monitoring and Evaluation
In August 2006, the Government of Ghana signed a 5-year $547 million Compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the United States of America aimed at reducing poverty through economic growth led by agricultural transformation. This program is being implemented by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), a government corporation established by the Parliament of Ghana to serve as the accountable agent for the implementation of the Compact.
Compact goal will be pursued through two program objectives: (a) increase the production and productivity of high-value cash and food crops; and (b) enhance the competitiveness of high-value cash and food crops in local and international markets. Achievement of these objectives will be through three projects in the areas of agriculture, transportation and rural development in 23 districts in the Northern Agriculture Zone (Northern Region), the Afram Basin Zone (Ashanti and Eastern Regions), and the Southern Horticultural Belt (South-East Coastal Plains).1
It is anticipated that 230,000 individuals will benefit directly from Compact interventions and that an additional 1,000,000 will benefit indirectly.
A focus on results is at the heart of the MCC Business Model. As a result, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) was an important component of program design and will be incorporated into all facets of the program cycle through close-out. The M&E Plan is a key management tool for MiDA in implementing a results-based program.
The purpose of the M&E Plan is to:
- Describe in detail how MiDA will monitor the various components of the Ghana Compact to determine whether MiDA is achieving intended results.
- Describe in detail how MiDA will evaluate the larger impacts of the Ghana Compact.
- Highlight the M&E requirements that MiDA must meet in order to receive disbursements.
- Guide program implementation and management, so that stakeholders understand what results are expected, by when the results should be achieved, and who is responsible for achieving and reporting them.
- Provide a framework that will alert stakeholders to performance problems so that adjustments can be made as needed.
The M&E Plan is considered a binding document, and failure to comply with its stipulations could result in the suspension of disbursements. It may be modified or amended as necessary only with the approval of MCC and only so long as it remains consistent with the requirements of the Compact and other relevant Supplemental Agreements. Terms used but not defined herein shall have the meaning given to them in the Compact.
