Group picture of participants and trainers during the MEL Capacity Strengthening Workshop in Abuja
Photo credit: Omobolanle Onilogbo/IFPRI
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), under the USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agriculture Policy Activity (FtF – NAPA), delivered a four-day capacity strengthening workshop on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) to 15 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) desk officers from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) from March 13-16, 2023, in Abuja.
The workshop strengthened the skills of the staff who will serve as focal persons for the MEL Plan for the new National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP). The training was facilitated by Hyacinth Edeh and Adetunji Fasoranti, IFPRI-Nigeria Country Program Manager and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, respectively.
On the first day, Hyacinth welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance and relevance of the MEL for quality policy implementation at the state and federal levels, and Mr. Emeka Onwuchukwa, an Assistant Director in the Planning and Policy Coordination Department of the FMARD, gave an opening remark on behalf of the Director. He thanked USAID and IFPRI for including FMARD in their capacity-strengthening plans.
The training provided an understanding of basic MEL concepts to help participants generate program-specific MEL plans and frameworks and ultimately guide in quality decision-making during program implementation. In addition, the participants learned how to summarize MEL terminologies and built a sound understanding of the differences between monitoring and evaluation in program management.
Adetunji Fasoranti leading a training session (left) and guiding participants through a group work (right).
Photo credit: Omobolanle Onilogbo/IFPRI
Funded by the United States Agency for International Development, and implemented by IFPRI and Michigan State University, the Feed the Future Nigeria Agriculture Policy Activity aims to strengthen the commitment and ability of stakeholders across the agriculture sector to formulate, implement, and monitor policies that foster robust and inclusive growth.