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Appendix One: Terms of Reference
SPARC TOR: FED-FED-1-H
1. Name of Consultant: George Abalu (Content Editor)
2. Overarching TOR Ref: FED-FED-1
3. Overarching TOR
Version:
4. Contribution to specific Dimension outputs
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The specific Dimension outputs within the overarching TOR which this input will contribute towards:
1. Improving M&E
2. Strengthening Capacity of the MDG office – Technical assistance targeted at areas were capacity is
lacking and can be improved in order for OSSAP-MDG to accomplish its task.
5. Background
1. In 2005 the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FGN) secured a debt write-off from the
Paris Club group of creditors. The Government pledged to channel the ‗Debt Relief Gains‘ (DRG) to
projects and programmes that would help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Subsequently, the FGN has committed over N400 billion to projects and programmes that will help
Nigeria achieve the Millennium Development Goals through the 2006 to 2010 Federal budgets.
2. The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals
(OSSAP-MDGs) was created to guide the funds from debt relief through standard channels of
government. They were also delegated responsibility to build an independent monitoring and
evaluation (M&E) initiative that would track the achievements of debt relief. This initiative was
originally called the ‗Overview of Public Expenditure in NEEDS‘ but has since been come to be known
as the ‗DRG M&E‘.
3. Currently, a national M&E team (NMET) is contracted to run the M&E initiative. NMET consists of a
multidisciplinary consulting firm (the National M&E Consultants) and a National Civil Society
Organisation (CSO). Reporting to the National Team are 37 state M&E teams (SMETs; one for each
state and FCT) consisting of 37 consulting firms and 37 Community Based Organisations (CBOs).
4. NMET, in collaboration with the SMETs, have produced two M&E reports to date. The first covers
expenditures in the 2006 and 2007 Federal Budgets. The second report covers expenditures in the
2008 Budget. Typically, the SMETs have visited sites and filled in a series of templates (now a set
of on-line forms). These have then been aggregated into a final report by the NMET.
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