Consultant (Mid-Term Project Review) at Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA)

Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) a non-profit organization which brings hope, opportunity and economic well-being to low-income people around the world, through a business-oriented approach to development.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:   Job Title: Consultant (Mid-Term Project Review) Location: Bauchi

Description

• We invite applications for a Mid-Term Project Review Consultant for the Women and Youth Project (WAY), in Bauchi, Nigeria.

Background / Project Overview

• The project is at a midpoint ending its 3rd year of implementation and 2nd year of full activities. A mid-term review will be guided by the OECD evaluation criteria, determining, relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of project operations, and a measurement of performance indicators. It may include elements of Utilization Focused Evaluation methodology, consist of staff workshops and may include secondary data (such as partner reports, survey reports, etc.).
• MEDA is committed to reviewing performance to ensure that results are documented, lessons are learned, and the project implementation is prioritizing gender equity.
• In Nigeria, MEDA is currently implementing a project called Women’s Empowerment and Youth Entrepreneurship in Northern Nigeria (WAY), over $15.0 million project which started in 2017 and will be completed in March 2022. The ultimate outcome of the project is to see an increased contribution by entrepreneurs (ENs) and small-scale businesses (SSBs), particularly those run by women and youth, to Nigeria’s economic growth.
• The project seeks to strengthen the business performance and improve the enabling environment for entrepreneurs and small-scale business in the rice, groundnut and soybean value chains. The clients are mainly working in processing of these food crops, predominantly women (75%) adding value to their food crops parboiling rice, pressing groundnut oil and processing soy to tofu. The project is committed to a gender responsive strategic approach which includes:
  • Access to agrotechnology to reduce time and labour in processing activities;
  • Technical assistance to Small Scale Businesses to help them grow their market share;
  • Access to finance to support growth of businesses and entrepreneurial efforts; and
  • Build community support for reduction of early and forced girl child marriage
• MEDA has aligned the WAY project with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) in its second year of activities (a piloting year) and is implementing Gender Progress Markers to understand gender equality transformations from the client’s perspective.

Review Purpose The purpose of the mid-term process review is to examine the extent to which the program is operating as intended by assessing its ongoing operations and determining whether the target population is being served. This review is to help program staff members identify needed interventions and change program components to improve service delivery. The following data will be collected:

• Demographic characteristics of program participants;
• Collaborative partnerships; and
• Staff’s perspectives on internal processes and general implementation challenges
• Details of program operations;
• Intensity and quality of services provided;
• Context and community in which the program is delivered;

Review Objectives

• Provide information on programme performance using OECD criteria Identify facilitating and inhibiting factors vis-à-vis project results;
• Document lessons learned;
• Provide recommendations to improve project delivery.

The results of this review are primarily intended for internal use by Nigeria WAY project team, including the Monitoring and Impact Measurement specialists to improve future implementation. Results and findings will be shared with the Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and other key stakeholders including project clients. However, the key utility of this study is that the findings of the project will help in adjusting project design and implementation for the remainder of the project period. Review Scope and Criteria

• The review will consider all the activities, outputs and results produced during the life of the project (i.e. 2017-2022) and will gather data from multiple stakeholders across the project’s zone of influence (the seven LGAs in Bauchi State), in a participatory fashion. Results of the review are expected to help WAY and MEDA identify what adjustments would be needed to the current strategy and inform the design of future feminist, economic development projects at MEDA.

The review should consider the project and learnings in two stages:

• Initial Design: a desk review and KIIs with staff to understand the initial design and its flaws, what went wrong, what MEDA could have done differently. What did we do right, what did we do wrong?
• Progress and learnings so far on the re-design, activities, outputs, and any results produced so far. What are the strengths so far? Where can we improve for the remainder of the intervention?

Review Approach and Methodology The review will use a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach that maximize learning and action. The PAR process will begin with:

• Qualitative data collection: select KIIs and FGDs;
• Workshop, potentially including agenda items of the OECD / DAC evaluation domains;
• Other methods as suggested by the Consultant.
• Development of research questions;
• Desk review of current criteria and recruitment processes for clients (farmers and SMEs);

Through a 2-day workshop, the MTR will seek to understand the project by trying to change it, collaboratively and allowing for reflection by project staff, stakeholders, and both SSBs and EN clients. A Review Advisory Committee (RAC) will be formed comprising key project stakeholders to guide the process of internal review. The review will use multiple secondary sources of evidence, both qualitative and quantitative, to triangulate findings. Data gathering tools and findings should capture progress and results related to such cross-cutting themes as gender equality and environmental sustainability. Reviewer’s Tasks and Responsibilities Under the overall guidance of the Review Advisory Committee (RAC), the Consultant will prepare a detailed work plan that provides information on the review to be carried with timelines of each activity. At minimum, the work plan should include the following:

• Data gathering tools;
• Data analysis and reporting.
• Overview of the project;
• Review methodology;

Deliverables and Time Frame

• A total of 23 billable days are allocated for this assignment (including travel). All the activities will be conducted in February and April 2020.

Activity - Responsible - Timeline / Duration (for Consultant):

• Field work in Nigeria, including a review workshop - External Consultant, with support of WAY field team - 3rd week of March
• Draft report submitted - External Consultant The RAC will have 4-5 days to provide comments on the draft - 3 April 2020
• Final report submitted - External Consultant - 10 April 2020
• Desk review and Midterm Review Methodology developed (sampling, tools, workshop agenda, etc) - External Consultant, with support of RAC - Feb 2020
• First RAC meeting - External Consultant, with support of RAC - Mid-Feb

Logistical Arrangements:

• The local project team will be responsible for making logistical arrangements for field visit and scheduling interviews with key stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of results-based management, strong qualitative and quantitative research skills;
• Analysis, interpretation and writing skills.
• At minimum 10 years’ experience working in evaluation and program review,
• Market system analysis with gender component in the development field, strong familiarity with Nigerian context;

 

How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: [email protected]  with email subject: Mid-Term Project Review Application Click Here to Download Terms of Reference (Pdf) Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.