By Alieu Ceesay
For many local government institutions, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is often treated as an afterthought. At Mansa Konko Area Council, however, officials are determined to change that approach.
The Council has successfully concluded a three-day Monitoring and Evaluation Framework training organized by ActionAid International The Gambia under the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund-supported Youth Promotion Initiative (YPI). Beyond equipping staff with technical skills, the training has generated optimism that evidence-based planning and stronger accountability will become central to implementing the Council’s 2026–2029 Strategic Plan.
Chairperson of Mansa Konko Area Council, Hon. Landing B. Sanneh, described the training as a critical milestone in ensuring the Council’s medium-term strategy delivers tangible results for communities across the Lower River Region.
“We must all embrace monitoring and evaluation. It is very important,” Hon. Sanneh said. “We are in the process of recruiting an M&E officer, the first of its kind for the Council, because monitoring provides the data and information needed to implement activities that truly address the needs of our people.”
According to the Chairperson, the Strategic Plan was developed through extensive consultations with stakeholders and is intended to guide the implementation of programs aligned with the Council’s mandate. Effective monitoring, he explained, will enable the Council to continuously assess progress, identify implementation gaps, and provide reliable reports to partners and the public.
Youth representative Assan Njie said the training comes at the right time, particularly as the Council begins rolling out a strategy that places greater emphasis on inclusion.
“The strategy plan is very much focused on youth participation, women and persons with disabilities,” Njie said. “The M&E system will help the Council assess the impact of its projects and ensure the strategy achieves its intended objectives.”
He added that recruiting a dedicated Monitoring and Evaluation Officer would strengthen reporting, improve accountability, and help track development outcomes more effectively.
ActionAid International The Gambia said the training forms part of a broader effort to ensure that strategic plans developed with partner councils become practical tools for development rather than documents left on office shelves.
Youth Promotion Initiative Project Manager Bridget Tabou Correa noted that the organization supported the development of the Council’s four-year strategy and recognized the need to build staff capacity to monitor its implementation.
“The M&E is a very crucial aspect; it is the backbone of the strategy,” Correa said. “We don’t want this strategy to be thrown on the shelves. We want it to be a living document where everybody understands their role in tracking progress over the next four years.”
She added that similar M&E framework training is being provided to all councils supported under the project and expressed confidence that the knowledge gained would translate into improved planning and service delivery.
As the training concluded, participants left with practical skills in indicator tracking, data collection, reporting, and evidence-based decision-making. With plans underway to recruit an M&E specialist and strengthen institutional systems, Mansa Konko Area Council believes it is laying a solid foundation for more transparent, accountable, and effective local governance.
