SEEFOR: Effective M&E system critical to realization of project objective – Fidelis Ugbo.

The Secretary to the National Planning Commission (NPC), Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo, Esq., has stated that a credible M&E framework for the States Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) Project has been established by the Commission, to ensure effective realization of the developmental objective of the Project.

Barrister Ugbo disclosed this in Abuja at the opening of a National Policy Dialogue on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), which was organized by the NPC and the World Bank.

The policy dialogue was organized as a follow up to the implementation of the resolutions reached at the Obudu Retreat on SEEFOR project held in 2013.

“I also wish to confirm that a credible M&E framework for SEEFOR Project has been established under the guidance of the National Project Coordinating Unit (NPCU) with technical support from the World Bank office.  The Department of M&E of NPC has also continued to provide useful technical support toward the process”; he said.

Barrister Ugbo also explained that the efforts toward institutionalization of the M&E system for the SEEFOR Project has reached an advanced stage with the development of the reporting templates at the Federal and State levels and also the recent approval by the World Bank for the engagement of a Consultant for the development of the SEEFOR M&E system, among others.

The project, SEEFOR, was developed as part of the World Bank’s contribution to the Federal Government’s amnesty programme in the Niger Delta.

Four Niger delta States of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Cross River are currently selected for the implementation of the SEEFOR Project, based on the high rate of youth restiveness identified in the area as a result of high unemployment.