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Establishing a VOPE in a Plural Developing Economy

Establishing a VOPE in a Plural Developing Economy. The Case of the Society for Monitoring and Evaluation, Nigeria (SMEAN) EvalPartners Forum Chiang Mai, Thailand, 3-6 December, 2012 . Background-(1). SMEAN was established in 2007 to:

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Establishing a VOPE in a Plural Developing Economy

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  1. Establishing a VOPE in a Plural Developing Economy The Case of the Society for Monitoring and Evaluation, Nigeria (SMEAN) EvalPartners Forum Chiang Mai, Thailand, 3-6 December, 2012 SMEAN

  2. Background-(1) • SMEAN was established in 2007 to: • provide a platform for all Nigerian practitioners of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for the exchange of ideas and development of their capacities, • as well as to elevate the profile of M&E as a vocation and propel its institutionalization in Nigeria. SMEAN

  3. Background-(2) • Initiative informed by 2006 baseline diagnostic study of M&E systems in Nigerian federal and sub-national governments undertaken by the MDGs Office/ World Bank • limited capacity for M&E in and out of government re design of evaluable projs/progs, use of appropriate tools and production of reports • First meeting on sidelines of 2007 AfREA conf. SMEAN

  4. Strategy and Implementation-(1) • SMEAN has worked consistently with other Nigerian stakeholders to promote evaluation capacity through: • Providing expert lectures at it reception for members; • Sharing career and topical interest group information with members on its listserve; • Serving as independent observers for the preparation of the Nigeria Country Report; SMEAN

  5. Strategy and Implementation-(2) • Collaborating with the National Planning Commission to provide training workshops to staff of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government. • Advocacy for appropriate funding of M&E activities in Government; • Campaign for the use of evaluation results to inform policy options and program prioritization; • Promoting government and non- state actors’ collaboration in evaluation SMEAN

  6. Bottlenecks and Challenges • The misconception that evaluation is a ‘witch-hunting” exercise/inquisition into work output, rather than a learning process of what works, and what does not, as a basis for evidence-based planning. • Inadequate capacity for evaluation: evaluation is a relatively new vocation in Nigeria so there is still a substantial gap in the resource pool to do it well, both in and out of government. • The limited extent to which evaluation reports are put into use currently in public sector in Nigeria or to inform policy: effective evaluation use is often found mostly in donor-driven project settings. SMEAN

  7. Progress and Results • Built up a large and diverse membership base, • Recognized by the Nigerian Government as the leading association of evaluation practitioners in Nigeria, • Invited by the NPC to draft the framework for action to achieve effective M&E in the machinery of government, • Taking part in the reformulation process of the UNDP-Democratic Governance and Development (DGD) project Phase II, to assist in identifying best practice in relation to SMART indicators and collection of relevant data, • Members involved in the M&E of MDGs programs of the Presidency; documented improvement in the quality of outputs and intermediate outcomes of the programs, • Unexpected Copycat groups SMEAN

  8. Key enabling factors • Our membership, which cuts across all spheres of development administration and public policy management; • A dedicated leadership which is committed to the development of evaluation in Nigeria for the long haul; and • The support of a few visionary public officials in creating awareness and demand for evaluation. SMEAN

  9. Innovations and lessons learned • The principal lesson we have learned from our experience thus far is that VOPEs should evolve gradually, especially in a plural and developing society such as Nigeria. A shared vision by the key stakeholders willing to volunteer their time and resources (especially in the early stages) is more important than a rush to constitution-writing and the establishment of formal structures. SMEAN

  10. Next steps • SMEAN will push vigorously for the adoption and implementation of the framework for action for the development of effective evaluation machinery in government, taking into account all stakeholders and tied to the nation’s long-term development plans • SMEAN will continue to build its own capacity by collaborating with the development partners that have expressed interest in working with us, such as UK DfID, the UN System, as well as evaluation professional groups like AfrEA and the IOCE. SMEAN

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