NaMEA Boss Warns Against ‘Photo-Op’ Monitoring of Government Projects

The Director General of the National Monitoring and Evaluation Agency (NaMEA), Dr. James Edwin, has called for stronger oversight of government-funded projects, warning against monitoring practices that focus mainly on the physical completion of infrastructure.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Government Weekly Press Conference at the Miatta Civic Centre in Freetown, Dr. Edwin said public projects should not be considered successful simply because physical structures have been completed.

He said routine site visits that only involve taking photographs and confirming the existence of roads, bridges, schools or health centres do not amount to comprehensive monitoring.

According to Dr. Edwin, effective monitoring should assess the financial, technical, contractual and implementation aspects of government projects, while also determining whether they are delivering the intended benefits to citizens.

“Monitoring is not just about seeing a completed structure. We must examine the financial, technical, contractual, and implementation dimensions of every project,” Dr. Edwin stated.

He said NaMEA is focused on strengthening the country’s public monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure that government-funded projects are assessed not only on physical completion but also on their effectiveness, value for money and impact on communities.