Monitoring Government Policies: A Toolkit for Civil Society Organisations in Africa

This toolkit explores ways of working for change by monitoring government policies. It is especially designed to help African civil society organisations analyse and monitor government policy implementation. It aims to help foster a conversation in society on policies and how well those policies work. High-quality research, accompanied by strong campaigning and lobbying, is, according to this document, a key way for local organisations to hold their governments to account. The tools included in this document are based on a two-year participatory project, including three workshops, with partner organisations in Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, and Malawi.

The aim of the toolkit is to offer information, ideas, examples, and methods on how to gather evidence about policies and to use that evidence to press for change. Three agencies - Christian Aid, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), and Trócaire - came together in 2005 to create the toolkit as a means of demystifying the policy monitoring process and to break it down for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) that would like to influence policies.

The toolkit provides ways for trainers or facilitators to engage those with little or no policy experience in active learning.

The chapter structure is:

1. Getting started
2. Choosing policies and collecting information
3. Identifying policy stakeholders
4. Looking into a policy and setting your focus
5. Analysing policy budgets
6. Gathering evidence on policy implementation
7. Conclusion - using policy evidence to advocate for change

This document is available online in downloadable PDF format using the link below.