You are the Head of PPBME of an organization. One of your projects that seek to deepen local

governance, which is very routine is currently in its fourth year. This project has three main M&E

components namely: training needs assessment; organization of capacity building workshop, and

dissemination of field training results. The projects also pay for travel logistics$.$

$$ The training needs assessment involves collecting data from $8$ units committees with $5$ members

each and analyzing same. Each month, the project spends $50$ cedis on a unit committee member

collecting data and another $30$ cedis analyzing the data.

$$ A four$-$day residential capacity building workshop is organized for the unit committees and their

$8$ Assemblymen each month. Two facilitators are engaged for the four days at $500$ Ghana cedis per

facilitator per day. For three nights, the participants and their facilitators spend, it cost the project

$450$ cedis per person$/$day$.$ Their feeding and per diems are $120$ cedis per person $/$day$.$ Facilitators are

not paid per diem.

$$ After every field visit, the project holds a workshop to feed the $10$ representatives of the

funding agencies in on their finding made during the field visit. This meeting cost the project

a lump sum of $1000$ cedis$/$month$.$

$$ For the four days, the project uses a project vehicle but fuel it at $150$ cedis per day and pay

the drive a night allowance of $250$ cedis per night and per diem of $100$ cedis per day. The

needs of the M&E Officer are taken care of by the Head office in a separate arrangement.

Each year five percent of the budgeted M&E amount is set aside to address challenges that results

from differentials in price observed during implementation.

i$.$ You have just received a memo from the M&E officer requesting that you approve and

release the first quarter budget for $2022,$ which amounts to $460,000$ cedis. If funds for

M&E activities are release months ahead of time, will you give approval for this amount

and why?

ii$.$ How much does it cost the project each year to implement its M&E activities?

iii. If it is projected that by the last quarter, an increase in petroleum prices will cause prices

to increase. How much more money will you give the M&E Officer each month during the

last quarter?

iv$.$ If management seeks innovative ways to cut down on M&E expenditure without

compromising on quality, where will you focus and why?