Governments, development partners (DPs), and implementers spend millions of dollars every year collecting data on results. The post-2015 development agenda calls for more results indicators and larger investments in data. At this inflection point, we examine a critical question: how do we make these investments most effective?
Development Gateway (DG), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is studying how results data is collected, shared, and used in three countries: Ghana, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka, across the health and agriculture sectors. This report synthesizes our findings from Ghana.
Purpose
We aim to shed new light, both locally and internationally, on how results data is collected, shared, and used – and what can be done to improve quality and use of results data in Ghana, especially at local level. Our study explores results data primarily from the government perspective, while incorporating critical views from the DP community and NGOs. We hope these insights will inform future investments in results-based management in Ghana, and anticipate that these lessons will also be useful to others in the international community.
What Do We Mean By Results?
Our definition of “results” in this case comprises both output and outcome data. We define outputs as the goods and services delivered through activities – such as immunizations or farmer trainings. We define outcomes as evidence of effects on target populations – such as maternal mortality rates or increase in household incomes.
