Evaluation of the Public Performance Monitoring System in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Sector in Madagascar through a Quality Approach

Management Quality

The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the performance monitoring and evaluation system of Madagascar’s Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (MEAH), with a view to improving the value chain of the Water-Sanitation-Hygiene (WASH) sector. It is part of the New Public Management (NPM) reform movement, promoting results-based management and accountability in public governance. The study adopts a quality-driven approach, structured around two complementary frameworks: SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) for strategic mapping, and the 5M method (Manpower, Material, Methods, Milieu, Means) for the operational analysis of the system's components. Data were collected from institutional documents, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. The diagnosis reveals a partially functional system, characterized by underutilization of existing tools, inadequacy of indicators in relation to emerging issues (climate change, health crises), and weak appropriation at regional level. The system does not cover all segments of this value chain, and its management remains highly dependent on the logic and interests of external partners. Beyond these findings, the study provides an original and transferable methodological framework for strengthening public performance monitoring systems in essential services. Its results offer practical pathways for improving governance in Madagascar’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector, while enriching academic reflection on value chain analysis in fragile institutional contexts. A reform of the Ministry’s performance monitoring system incorporating performance indicators aligned with real impacts, professionalization of decentralized actors, and a sustainable financial anchor for the evaluation function is essential to support more effective and accountable public governance.

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