Mokoro Principal Consultant, Peter Oates, carried out a Mid-Term Review of a capacity building project for improved aid management in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning (MFNP), Zambia.

The core problem this project addressed was the limited capacity within government services generally, particularly within the MFNP. These capacity deficits were exacerbating three main concerns; a lack of ownership of projects by the MFNP, a lack of sustainability in projects, and a lack of effectiveness in complying with the National Authorising Officer (NAO) duties along with the increased responsibilities under a Joint Assistance Strategy, donor harmonisation, and budget support.

The review included critically reviewing the project implementation to date and analysing factors which constrain successful implementation, assessing the appropriateness of the institutional arrangement and providing recommendations on improvements for implementation.