By Emmanuel Elebeke

Nigeria has begun reviewing its National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy to align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. 

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Dr. Emeka Obi, announced this in Abuja on Tuesday during the Stakeholders’ Engagement to Revise the National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy.

Dr. Obi stated that the review aims to harmonize, coordinate, and formalize the Monitoring and Evaluation system for government policies and programs in Nigeria. He emphasized that the absence of a robust M&E framework has led to inefficiencies, duplicated efforts, and missed opportunities for impactful development.

Recall that a 2007 World Bank study revealed the absence of a harmonized, coordinated, and formal Monitoring and Evaluation system in Nigeria. Before the policy, there was no documented strategy for monitoring and evaluating government policies and programs in accordance with international best practices.

The review seeks to: Strengthen governance: Reduce inter-agency rivalry and misunderstandings on roles and responsibilities; Enhance transparency and accountability: Institutionalize M&E practices across sectors and levels of government and Promote data-driven policymaking: Ensure every intervention is guided by data, evaluated for impact, and adjusted for continuous improvement.

The Federal Executive Council approved the National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy in August 2022 after which a national dialogue on the policy was held in February 2023 to discuss its operationalization across all levels of government.

Dr. Obi reiterated the importance of operationalizing the National M&E Policy, which is critical to achieving an effective integrated M&E system across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

According to the PS, the policy will be domesticated in states and local government areas, focusing on entrenching transparency and accountability in government projects. 

He urged stakeholders to recognize the importance of monitoring and evaluation for good governance and national development, and to embrace the operationalization of the policy as a collective responsibility.

Dr. Obi, however, called on partners, both local and international, to continue supporting Nigeria’s M&E agenda. This he said will  build a nation where every Naira spent delivers maximum value and translates into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.