Tony Aidoo: NPP blew $10m over policy and evaluation

Dr. Tony Aidoo         Head of Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation team at the presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo has accused the erstwhile New Patriotic Party of misappropriating $10 million being cash for the establishment of a database and policy evaluation outfit. According to Dr Aidoo, the opposition party had nothing to show for the amount provided by the UNDP and DFID except traces of feasibility studies. “From 2003-2008 the NPP administration [set up or] attempted to set up a similar system of monitoring and evaluation that I am doing and had a funding of almost $10 million. “...Apart from feasibility studies that were carried out I came to find that the whole output of the unit did not even contain a baseline databank. “In less than nine months I have spent less than GH¢200,000 to build up a comprehensive data bank with all the 23 ministers having their policies and programmes in that bank, 170 District Assemblies with their data in there..” Dr Aidoo was speaking to Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Host Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah on the impact his new portfolio is having on the performance of the Mills administration. The enigmatic politician said his outfit is fully IT-based with evidence-based performance monitoring system to track the performance of the various ministries, departments and agencies. Dr Aidoo said his system has been able to capture the total number of people on government payroll, but was yet to incorporate the total number of jobs created across the country. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana