Sierra Leone has taken a major step toward improving governance and public sector performance with the launch of its National Evaluation Guidelines and the National Evaluation Capacity Readiness Assessment (NECRA).
The initiative, led by the National Monitoring and Evaluation Agency in collaboration with UNICEF and other development partners, is aimed at strengthening accountability and promoting evidence-based decision-making across government institutions.
The launch marks a significant milestone in institutionalizing Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems within national development frameworks.
Director General of NaMEA, James Edwin, stated that the agency’s mandate goes beyond establishing systems to ensuring informed and effective decision-making. He highlighted progress made through digital platforms such as NaMEMIS, which tracks government projects, and LEOMEMIS, a system used to monitor textbook distribution from Freetown to end users.
He emphasized that strong M&E systems enhance transparency, which in turn drives accountability. According to him, nine key recommendations have been developed under the NECRA, supported by a two-year strategic implementation plan.
Rudolf Schwenk, Resident Representative of UNICEF, described the initiative as a major national achievement. He noted that robust evaluation systems are essential for effective policy formulation, programme improvement, and accountability, while commending NaMEA’s leadership and the collaborative effort among stakeholders.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the NaMEA Board, David Moinina Sengeh emphasized that the agency’s role extends beyond performance tracking to build a national ecosystem for evaluation excellence. He stressed that evaluation readiness requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
He called on Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), development partners, academic institutions, civil society organizations, and the media to actively use evaluation evidence to promote transparency and accountability.
In his keynote address, Emmanuel Gaima reframed Monitoring and Evaluation as a tool for learning, mentoring, and empowerment rather than enforcement. He explained that the NECRA serves as a diagnostic framework to identify institutional gaps, including capacity constraints, fragmented systems, weak coordination, and challenges in data integration.
Dr. Gaima further emphasized the need for stronger national coordination and a policy environment where data informs decisions and policy frameworks guide data collection.
President of the Sierra Leone Evaluation Association, Regina Jebbeh Rogers, highlighted the importance of fostering a culture of evaluation in national development. She noted that UNICEF-supported programmes have strengthened evaluation frameworks across MDAs, NGOs, and civil society organizations.
She urged stakeholders to move from activity-based reporting to results-driven learning and decision-making, stressing that successful implementation will depend on sustained government commitment, donor alignment, capacity development, and the consistent use of evidence in policymaking.