From left to right: Mr Abdulrahman Sessay - Dep. Director NAS, Patricia Ongpin - UNAIDS Strategic Policy Advisor, Jeanne Kamara - Country Manager Christian AID, Rev Alimamy Kargbo - CCM Chair, and Marie Benjamin - SWAASL.

The National HIV/AIDS Secretariat in collaboration with its partners held a three day workshop on the 9th to 11th March 2017. The aim of the workshop was to access the National HIV M&E System. The National HIV M&E Assessment is a diagnostic exercise that enables stakeholders in HIV M&E to identify strengths and weaknesses in the current system and recommend actions to improve the system.

The MESST is a generic tool that assesses monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans and systems by assessing data collection, reporting, and management systems to measure indicators of program and project success. It addresses the M&E plan and systems that need to be in place to collect and channel data up a system for aggregation into relevant indicators for program management and reporting. The MESST can be used at the national level, within groups of projects, and within individual projects or organizations that are seeking to assess M&E data collection and reporting systems and to implement action plans for strengthening M&E.

According to the “Final Joint Review of the National Strategic Plan of 2006 – 2010” as well as subsequent “Country Progress Reports” submitted to the UN, M&E is a great concern for the national response due to its weak processes and inadequate quality of data. As more data is collected as evidence of the progress of the national response, it is important that the quality of the processes that are in place to collect and report the data is assessed to best understand and improve the M&E system.

Aim and Objectives of the Workshop

• To assess the national HIV and AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation System
• To develop a detailed costed Action Plan
• To Make recommendations for an improved HIV and AIDS M&E System

The Monitoring an Evaluation System Strengthening Tool (MESST) helps all entities under government programmes and donor projects assess strengths and weaknesses in the M&E system including data collection and reporting.

OUTCOME OF THE WORKSHOP

The outcome of MESST will be an action plan to strengthen the M&E system. It also helps to improve quality of programmatic data to enhanced planning and programme management.

Statements were made by the chairman of the country coordinating Mechanism (CCM), Christian AIDS and UNAIDS.

This report was written by Umu Nabieu, of the M&E Unit-NAS and published by Ibrahim Kamara, IT Manager.