The Capacity Building Workshop on Monitoring & Evaluation and Financial Reporting of ECOWAS Humanitarian Interventions in Member States opens in Suleja, Niger State, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Improving the coordination, effectiveness and accountability of regional humanitarian actions is the main objective of a capacity-building workshop on Monitoring-Evaluation and Financial Reporting of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Humanitarian Interventions in Member States, taking place from 5 to 8 November 2024 in Suleja, Niger State, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is organised for Member State focal points in charge of Humanitarian response and Disaster Management and ECOWAS staff by the Department in Charge of Human Development and Social Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission through the Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs.

The workshop is held in response to the ECOWAS Commission’s recognition of the need to strengthen the capacity of Member States’ humanitarian response focal points and disaster managers in operationalising monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems and financial reporting for humanitarian interventions. This is part of wider efforts by ECOWAS to improve the coordination, effectiveness, and accountability of regional humanitarian action.

The workshop was opened by Ezenekwe Tochukwu, Programme Officer at the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation of Nigeria, on behalf of Ezelu Valentine, Director of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

According to Mr Ezelu Valentine, the challenges facing our region are multiple and complex, requiring not only compassionate action but also coordinated and effective responses. In his view, through robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, ECOWAS and its member countries will ensure that humanitarian responses are not only well-intentioned, but also effective and sustainable. He expressed Nigeria’s gratitude to ECOWAS for bringing stakeholders together to strengthen regional capacity and deliver an effective humanitarian response.

In her speech at the opening of the workshop, Dr. Sintiki T. Ugbe, Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission, said that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are essential to ensure the efficient use of resources, evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement of humanitarian response efforts.

‘You are all aware that the humanitarian needs are endless and fast growing with limited resources, therefore we must also act fast with our response to make our interventions effective and timely. The ECOWAS region is inundated with vast humanitarian needs that require our collective collaboration to alleviate the effects and suffering of the citizens’ said Dr. Sintiki T. Ugbe.

She also stressed the importance of ensuring that the funds allocated by ECOWAS are used effectively and efficiently by adopting a culture of consistent and timely financial and M&E reporting, taking advantage, in the long term, of software tools for accurate data collection and reporting. According to Dr Sintiki T. Ugbe, monitoring and evaluation are essential practices to ensure that projects are on track, achieving their objectives and having the desired impact.

Finally, the ECOWAS Director of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Sintiki T. Ugbe, welcomed the development of an ECOWAS Humanitarian M&E platform which will provide a centralised, accessible and standardised system for Member States to share experiences, monitor, evaluate and report on their humanitarian interventions to all stakeholders.

This interactive workshop, based on active participation and knowledge sharing between participants, will cover a comprehensive programme that addresses all aspects of the monitoring and evaluation system, including data collection, analysis, reporting and integration into existing national systems.

At the end of the course, participants will gain practical experience of navigating the M&E platform, entering data, producing reports and interpreting results.