Management Response

: Nigeria
: 2018 - 2022 , Nigeria (CO)
: The Empowering Women and Girls for Enhanced Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response in Borno and Yobe States, Northeast Nigeria
:
: Nigeria
:

The final evaluation of the project on empowering women and girls for enhanced gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response in the BAY states of Northeast Nigeria offers critical insights and lessons for programme improvement. The Nigeria Country Office, aligned with UN Women’s Evaluation Policy, has reviewed and accepted most recommendations, showing a commitment to improving program implementation. The Nigeria Country Office accepted most recommendations, indicating a willingness to integrate lessons learned into future program designs. These include consulting critical stakeholders at the project design stage, conducting risk assessments, and balancing project expectations and the time allocated for delivery. Several key actions identified include organizing project development workshops with stakeholders, developing a risk register, and improving procedures for recruiting implementing partners. These aim to enhance collaboration, mitigate risks, and ensure efficient project implementation. Some recommendations were partially accepted or rejected. For instance, the recommendation for better focus on project activities was rejected, as the project design already provided clear guidelines. Similarly, the suggestion for pre-inception workshops was rejected, as inception meetings were already conducted. The Nigeria Country Office is committed to enhancing program sustainability and impact. This includes increasing staffing in future proposals, conducting market analyses for business initiatives, and collaborating with government partners to maintain project facilities and assets.
: Approved
Recommendation: Ensure consultation with critical stakeholders at the project design stage (Finding 5).
Management Response: In future proposal developments with an education component, the stated actions will be implemented.
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Description: For instance, future projects of this nature will benefit from consultations with key MDAs such as the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) at the design stage
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: National ownership
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women to organize project development workshops inviting the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and the federal ministry of education (FME) to make inputs into the design of the project, which allows for better collaboration during implementation of the project. UN Women 2027/12 Ongoing The specific project that has a second chance education as a component has ended, however, in subsequent future proposal developments with an education component, the stated action will be implemented.
Recommendation: Undertake a risk assessment at the project design stage.
Management Response: Accepted
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Description: Risk assessment and mitigation measures should be addressed at the design stage of similar projects in the future (Finding 19).
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop a risk register for the project/programs where all anticipated risk will be identified and addressed UN Women 2027/12 Ongoing The programme team will work collaboratively with the ME Specialist to develop a risk register in subsequent projects.
Recommendation: Strike the right balance between target outputs and time of delivery. In other words, avoid imbalance between project outputs and time allotted to achieve specific milestones.
Management Response: UN Women has adopted a system-wide approach and has developed a fast-track policy procedure to reduce delays in recruiting responsible partners for project implementation.
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Description: Project managers must recognize the fact that duration matters for effective delivery of project to enhance GBV prevention and response and should therefore devote adequate attention to minimize operational delays arising from contracting and other operational requirements before project inception. Inadequacy of time has been bemoaned as a key factor for missing out some key components of the interventions that could have led to better results (Findings 11 and 14). The programmatic priorities in an emergency humanitarian intervention may not necessarily be a lengthy period of delivery of outputs but there must be correspondence between the number of outputs, volume of activities and adequacy of time to deliver.
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Work on improving internal procedures on recruiting IPs UN Women 2024/05 Overdue-Initiated UN Women has adopted a system-wide approach and has developed a fast-track policy procedure to reduce delays in recruiting responsible partners for project implementation.
Develop a fast-track plan for project start-up including IPAC approval, PCA creation and fund advancing to partners. UN Women 2024/05 Overdue-Initiated UN Women has adopted a system-wide approach and has developed a fast-track policy procedure to reduce delays in recruiting responsible partners for project implementation.
Recommendation: Ensure better focus on project activities.
Management Response: Rejected. All project designs are streamlined to clearly focus on the expected outcome, and there is adequate linkage between the activities, outputs, and outcomes.
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Description: There should be better focus of activities on project objectives and results framework (Finding 15)
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
No action is required. The project design was in such a way that it provided both the manager and the IPS with a clear understanding of the expected outcome, and the IPs were selected based on their expertise in GBV and education programming. NA 2024/05 No Longer Applicable All project designs are streamlined to clearly focus on the expected outcome, and there is adequate linkage between the activities, outputs, and outcomes.
Recommendation: Maintain better consistency between resource allocation and target outputs.
Management Response: Partially accepted. UN Women Nigeria leadership has initiated a process that ensures that the number of staff is proportionate to project implementation. This includes ensuring appropriate staff costs are included in all new project designs.
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Description: In view of the challenges observed in project staffing in the context of output targets, the evaluator recommends that designers and implementers of a future project should ensure better allocation of human and financial resources so that allocated funds are better aligned to the desired results for improved efficiency (Finding 15). Adequacy of staff for project management is also highly recommended.
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women to increase the staffing number in future proposals as the availability of funds is critical to ensuring more staff are available to support the implementation of the project. UN Women 2027/12 Ongoing UN Women Nigeria leadership has initiated a process that ensures that the number of staff is proportionate to project implementation. This includes ensuring appropriate staff costs are included in all new project designs.
Recommendation: Organize a pre-inception exchange of information for better understanding of project objectives, results framework, risks and mitigation, implementation plan, and procurement guidelines.
Management Response: Rejected. No action is required as there was an inception meeting held with IPs to discuss project objectives and deliverables
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Description: In the future, UN Women should have a pre-inception workshop for the IPs to explain everything about the project. Discussion should include main activities, risks and mitigation, an implementation plan, and early things to be put in place for approval (Finding 15).
Management Response Category: Rejected
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
No action is required as there was an inception meeting held with IPs to discuss project objectives and deliverables NA 2027/12 No Longer Applicable No action is required as there was an inception meeting held with IPs to discuss project objectives and deliverables
Recommendation: Define roles and responsibilities in the MoUs between MDAs and the project and provide institutional arrangements and technical guidelines to fulfill such roles.
Management Response: Accepted.
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Description: Such guidelines must include appropriate maintenance plan for project facilities and assets. For instance, to enhance sustainability of the gains of the project, maintenance of the ICT centres and other facilities provided by the project must be taken into consideration. For future projects school improvement plan should be incorporated into the partnership agreement between relevant MDAs and the projects. Specifically, there must be agreement and commitment on the part of the MDAs that the maintenance of the facilities and equipment provided should be part of their roles and responsibilities (Finding 27).
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Work with IPs to update the MoU with government facilities where the ICT equipment was donated with an improvement plan that categorically states how the equipment and facility will be maintained. UN Women 2027/12 Not Initiated The team will revisit IP, who implemented the project, and seek to update the Previous MoU with the MDAs, ensuring that a sustainability plan that commits the MDAs is developed and signed.
Recommendation: Expand the curriculum of the second chance education services.
Management Response: In similar projects in the future access to emergency education should transcend literacy; a component on numeracy should be included. English language should also be included in the content of the nonformal education course instead of Hausa language alone (Finding 12).
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Description: In similar projects in the future, access to emergency education should transcend literacy; a component on numeracy should be included. English language should also be included in the content of the nonformal education course instead of Hausa language alone (Finding 12).
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
A component on numeracy will be included in the second chance education, and the English language will also be included in the content of the nonformal education course instead of Hausa language alone UN Women 2027/12 Ongoing In future projects having a second chance education, a component of numeracy will be included.
Recommendation: Limit adaptive business skills acquisition training to businesses that can ensure livelihood improvement.
Management Response: Partially Accepted
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Description: In this regard the need to balance project constraints with the effectiveness of the skill acquisition training program is strongly recommended. In future projects, this could involve reevaluating the training duration for different vocations to better meet the needs of the beneficiaries while considering the overall project timeline.
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Re-evaluating the training duration for different vocations to better meet the needs of the beneficiaries while considering the overall project timeline. UN Women 2027/12 Ongoing Adopt in upcoming projects/proposal development.
Recommendation: Issue certificates of participation to WLO training beneficiaries and the beneficiaries of the 6-month nonformal education course
Management Response: Accepted
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Description: Issue certificates of participation to WLO training beneficiaries and the beneficiaries of the 6-month nonformal education course (Finding 12, 30).
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women to design and share certificates with training participants and through partners to provide certificates to participants trained in non-formal education. UN Women 2027/12 Initiated UN Women Plans are underway for this to be considered and integrated in upcoming projects.
Recommendation: Monitor interventions on a proactive basis to strengthen ownership and sustainability.
Management Response: Partially accepted.
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Description: In future projects of this nature, MDAs should take the initiative to proactively monitor interventions, not only to track progress and accountability but also to enable them plan ahead for resources to take-over maintenance of assets and facilities at the closure of the project and to integrate lessons and successes into government development actions for necessary upscaling. Donor partners should assist such initiative with reasonable funding
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN women will continue to work more closely with MDAs to engage in joint missions to implementation locations, spot checks, etc. UN Women 2027/12 Ongoing UN Women engaged closely with the Ministry of Women Affairs in Yobe State and also supported them to carry out monitoring oversight of UN Women interventions in Yobe State, including holding regular meetings with UN Women partners and monitoring visits to project sites. UN Women will continue to improve monitoring and oversight by relevant MDAs to strengthen ownership and sustainability.
Recommendation: Nurture beneficiaries’ interest in business skills to improve sustainability and strengthen project impact.
Management Response: Accepted
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Description: The evaluation findings suggest that there were systemic challenges that affected the sustainability of the beneficiaries' businesses (Findings 22 and 28). This indicates the advisability to address the root causes of business instability as a crucial factor in achieving lasting impact of a project of this nature in future. In this regard, a more comprehensive approach to project design and support may be necessary to ensure that beneficiaries can maintain their livelihoods successfully over the long term.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women will conduct a market analysis of viable businesses within the local community, which will inform beneficiary choices and thus ensure sustainability for the business. UN Women 2027/12 Initiated In future projects with adaptive businesses as components, UN Women will work with IPs to conduct a robust market analysis to inform business initiatives.
Recommendation: Minimize operational delays to improve efficiency.
Management Response: Partially Accepted
More detail
Description: Streamlining the operationalization process to minimize delays in future projects is highly recommended. This could involve better planning, more efficient contracting processes, and improved coordination among project stakeholders to ensure that projects can begin promptly and maximize the allocated project duration for effective GBV prevention and response. This is important because taking cognizance of the essence of timeliness and operational efficiency is crucial for achieving project goals.
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women Country office will continue to work around operational systems that cause delay in project start-up, thus ensuring project begin on proposed dates UN Women 2027/12 Ongoing UN Women has adopted a system-wide approach in addressing these delays.