Irish Aid has focused on poverty reduction in Ethiopia since its inception in 1994, including in the northern region of Tigray through the Tigray Regional Support Programme (TRSP). A principal finding of an evaluation of the TRSP revealed a need to strengthen the linkages between the TRSP Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System and the various planning systems at the Regional and woreda levels. In addition, there was a clear gap in terms of qualitative data to complement the existing quantitative information. Therefore, the response was to develop a system for monitoring poverty which was known as the Complementary Poverty Monitoring Approach (CPMA).

The main objective of the CPMA was to strengthen the partnership between the regional government and Irish Aid by building a common agenda for monitoring and dialogue between the two partners based on evidence generated jointly by the programme.

Mokoro provided oversight and guidance to the strengthening and institutionalisation of the CPMA, including developing M&E capacity to undertake CPMA activity in order to understand how this longitudinal, cross-sectoral and community-focused approach fits in the overall regional M&E context as well as developing capacity in transitioning the academic oversight of CPMA.