After 30 years of civil war and political turmoil in the country, the federal government of Somalia developed its first National Development Plan (2017 – 2019) NDP8, aiming to align the multidimensional development support from its international partners with the national development priorities. NDP8 covered ten priority areas that were intended to respond to the needs of the Somali people and achieve the desired results of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

After careful review, evaluation, and documentation of the lessons learned from the implementation of the NDP8, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) has developed its ninth National Development Plan (2020–2024). This plan has been developed to provide a path towards economic growth and poverty reduction within the next five years. Unlike the previous plans, NDP-9 has four strategic pillars that encompass the national socio-economic and political priorities of Somalia for the next five years. These pillars are inclusive politics, security and the rule of law, inclusive economic growth, and social development. Each of these pillars is aligned with the SDGs, which affirms the FGS’s commitment to the implementation of the SDGs.

In efforts to improve and strengthen the accountability framework of the NDP-9, the Ministry of Planning, Investment, and Economic Development (MOPIED) of the Federal Government of Somalia commissioned the development of the National Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (NIMEF), which provides a consistent approach to the monitoring and evaluation of the NDP-9 programs, policies, and projects.

The NIMEF provides guidance and strategies for collecting, analyzing, and checking the accuracy of appropriate data that will be used to monitor, evaluate, and measure the performance, outcomes, and impacts of the pillar-based strategic priorities of the NDP-9. It also builds on lessons learned from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) during consultative workshops, study visits, and reviews of strategic documents. This NIMEF also provides references for building a strong Monitoring and Evaluation sector, such as recommendations for capacity development of Monitoring and Evaluation Department (MED) staff, online data collection platforms, pillar-based indicators that are aligned to the SDGs and targets to reduce the risk of developing a separate workstream for the SDGs, communication strategies for MDAs at FGS and Federal Member State (FMS) levels, and strategies for creating M&E champions for the country.