7. MONITORING AND EVALUATION The Monitoring and Evaluation Plan will enable the assessment of the operational issues encountered during the implementation of the strategy, as well as the assessment of the longterm impact and outcomes of the strategy based on periodic reviews. The Monitoring and Evaluation Plan will also provide mechanisms or tools for data collection and reporting, and further information on the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, and frequency of reports. The implementation of the NCS will require a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework that: ▪ Supports the attainment of the NCS Vision and Strategic Goals; and ▪ Enables accurate reporting on progress and identification of lessons learned and challenges encountered for informed decision making and effective planning. This can be used to elaborate new measures as well as amend and tailor existing initiatives under the strategy. This section of the Strategy details the proposed systematic approach to monitoring and evaluating progress as an integral part in implementing the NCS of Malawi. The monitoring is scheduled to be periodic in order to track the progress of implementation of the NCS. The monitoring will, therefore, focus on periodic and objective assessment of progress towards the attainment of the set objectives. The key objectives of the monitoring and evaluation approach are: ● Establishment of Performance Targets for various Government institutions or relevant stakeholders responsible for implementing specific actions of the NCS. ● Development of performance plans to establish a shared understanding of the expected end results, the approach to achieving these end results and identify the resources necessary to ensure a successful implementation. The plans will be based on the KPIs, Performance Targets and Deadlines provided in the Implementation Logical Framework ● Monitoring and reporting performance and progress in achieving expected end results by identifying and promptly reporting observed or likely deviations. ● Periodically evaluating institutional or individual performance against established performance targets 26