Group photo during the training in Malaita: photo credit UNDP
THE Provincial Governance and Service Delivery Project (PGSD) has successfully concluded a comprehensive 3 days Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Workshop aimed at enhancing the capacity of provincial government officers in Malaita, Makira and RenBel provinces.
The workshop held in Auki from July 29th to August 2nd, 2024, brought together government staff, provincial officers, and key stakeholders from these provinces to focus on improving the quality and effectiveness of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs reporting and implementation.
M&E is a critical component in the lifecycle of any project, enabling stakeholders to track progress, assess results, and make informed decisions. Recognizing the need for a robust M&E framework, PGSD, in partnership with the Ministry of Provincial Governments and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS), developed this workshop to promote a sound, inclusive, and accountable governance system for sub-national service delivery. Aligning with this objective, the project also provided provincial governments officers with electronic tablets to help them modernize monitoring and evaluation practices.
One of the main obstacles met by developing partners in Solomon Islands is the capacity around collecting high-quality data to design, budget, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate projects. However, the PGSD project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP is helping to save this obstacle by not only strengthening the monitoring and evaluation practice but also modernizing it with electronic tools.
The introduction of electronic tablets is set to revolutionize how provincial governments officers monitor and evaluate the implemented activities of the project.

Photo credit: UNDP
With these devices, officers can now perform real-time data collection and analysis, significantly enhancing the accuracy and timeliness of their reports as they could prove themselves during a monitoring field mission they went on as part of the M&E Training they participated in organized by the project.
The workshop focuses on key objectives such as
- Enhance Understanding of M&E Fundamentals with participants gaining a solid foundation in the basic concepts and principles of monitoring and evaluation.
- Update on Methods and Tools, introducing new methods, approaches, and tools for effective M&E activities.
- Improve Data Collection Skills with emphasis placed on accurate, consistent, and reliable data collection processes.
- Utilize M&E Findings Effectively, highlighting the importance of using M&E findings to improve project performance and make evidence-based decisions.
The workshop included a mix of presentations, brainstorming sessions, and hands-on training, providing participants with practical skills and tools to enhance their M&E capabilities as well as their programs implementation skills. Sessions were organized to inform the Provincial Government officers about the national WASH standards and to provide a general understanding of high standard monitoring, evaluation, and data collection processes.
Mozammel Haque,UNDPproject manager, is enthusiastic to extend this capacity building sessions to all provinces in Solomon Islands assuring that: “The success of this workshop marks a significant step towards strengthening the capacity of provincial government officers. With improved M&E practices and the new electronic tools, we can ensure that development programs and specifically WASH projects are not only effective but also sustainable, ultimately benefiting not only the Provincial Governance and Service Delivery project or any other UNDP project, but all development projects implemented in all provinces of Solomon”.
The workshop was facilitated by experts in the field, who provided insights and practical guidance to the participants. It was initially delivered in Honiara in May where officers from Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Isabel, Temotu and Western provinces attended. With this second round of training, the project has extended this support to all provinces in the country.
Source: UNDP SI