Prioritization

Prioritisation of the key issues identified involved the use of a technique to further categorize and sieve out development issues that are paramount and important for the Municipality to address within the planned period. Participants at the workshop were grouped into sectors to prioritize key issues. The criteria for prioritizing were based on the following: Issues that; 

•    Enhance local participation
•    Address the immediate needs of the communities
•    Have direct bearing on poverty reduction
•    Can be achieved within the planned period
•    Have immediate or potential funding
•    Sustainability
•    Environmental friendliness

After the prioritsation exercise, almost all the issues need to be addressed. With limited financial capabilities, issues that need urgent attention in the medium term have been grouped under major issues while those that are not so critical are labeled minor. The implication of this in planning is that there will be a limited number of activities for the minor issues especially if they are to trigger activities or support major issues directly. The following tables show the prioritized issues under the sectors.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Plan Implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation

The implementation design adopted for this plan is set apart from the previous medium term plan. A Plan Implementation Team is to be set up by the Assembly to facilitate the implementation and therefore, the realisation of the objectives of this plan. In doing this, the Plan Coordination Team (PCT), which saw to the design of this plan is to be transformed into Plan Implementation Team (PIT). 

The rationale for this is that since the Team led in the development of the ideas, goals and objectives of the plan, it will be in a best position to see to the operationalisation of the plan. The Assembly will launch the Plan and formally adopt it as its working document for the planned period. The PIT will organise three main workshops or working sessions each year.

These are:

• Annual Work Planning Workshop
• Mid-Year Review
• End of Year Review / Planning Workshop

At the beginning of the year, the PIT will organise an Annual Work Planning Workshop. This will bring all departments of the Assembly as well as other development stakeholders together and create a forum for consultation in setting targets and developing strategies for the year. Working sessions of departments/sectors will precede this workshop and it will seek to consolidate what the Assembly intends to do and commit itself financially for the year. Proposal for activities should be prepared during these sessions for review and submission. The Annual Action Plan format in this plan will be the standard to be used in this workshop.

The Mid-Year Review (MYR) meetings should also be instituted to track progress of implementation. This will be held half yearly and would concern itself mainly with what activities were planned to be implemented, what has been achieved, the constraints encountered and what mitigating factors should be taken to reduce constraint? The format for the MYR is as follows:
 
Monthly meetings of heads of departments or their representatives will be held to track activity implementation process. An End of Year Planning Workshop will be held every year to review the plan implemented for the year. The end of year workshop will be combined with the Annual Work plan preparation. This should be held in November so that by January implementation will start.

An important element of governance that the Gushegu Municipality seeks to incorporate in the planning process is the inclusion of Civil Society groups and organizations in the monitoring and evaluation process of the plan. This is especially crucial not only of specific poverty reduction projects such as the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP), Social Investment Fund (SIF) and the HIPC Fund Projects, but also of the Municipality's capital projects as well. 

The constitution of the Monitoring and Evaluation Team of the Assembly will be same as stipulated by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. To be more responsive to the people, identified Civil Society Groups in the Municipality will be represented on the Monitoring and Evaluation Team of the Assembly. 

The Monitoring of projects will be undertaken quarterly or three months after the start of a project. Each member of the monitoring Team is expected to appraise the project based upon available information and his judgement.
 
To enhance efficiency of revenue mobilization, there is the need for constant monitoring of revenue collection and collectors. As targets will be set for revenue staff, they will be tasked to file revenue returns of their collection a day after their collection. Inspectors will compile these from the various collectors and submit to the Finance Officer for scrutiny and records not later than two days of collection. The finance officer will also compile and analyse these to see if revenue mobilization is on track and suggest possible remedies to the Municipal Chief Executive.