ECA calls for wider adoption of digital planning tool by African govts
Africa
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26 Apr 2024
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has developed a web-based platform aimed to improve governance, and help governments strengthen their national planning operations.
This comes as the ECA encouraged policymakers to use digital tools to increase openness, efficiency, and effectiveness.
According to the ECA, the intention behind the Integrated Planning and Reporting Tool (IPRT) is to strengthen planning processes using technology. It will enable the digital tracking of national, provincial, and sector plans in accordance with annual budgets and international commitments, such as the SDGs and Agenda 2063.
According to the ECA, the IPRT has already been deployed in over 30 countries, and efforts are underway to secure its adoption by other countries on the continent.
The call to adopt the IPRT was made during the "Leveraging Digital Technologies for Integrated Planning to Advance the SDGs and Agenda 2063 in Times of Multiple Crises" forum held in Ethiopia.
Antonio Pedro, deputy executive secretary, ECA, emphasised the relevance of technology in development planning processes.
He explained that, while many countries do a good job of establishing their priorities through broad stakeholder participation, the number of identified priorities is frequently so large that implementation becomes difficult.
To solve this issue, ECA created the IPRT to aid governments in successful planning.
Bartholomew Armah, chief of development planning at ECA's Macroeconomics and Governance division, said: "The IPRT represents a significant step forward in the integration of multiple development agendas into national development plans, offering a harmonised approach to progress reporting."
Annette Griessel, deputy director general of national planning coordination at the South African Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, emphasised the transformative significance of technology in redressing the development gaps left by South Africa's apartheid past.