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Project: Tunisia - Meta Evaluation Report
Evaluation Date: May 2021
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

In addition to UNDEF’s already existing procedures and practices, grantees should be encouraged to build deeper synergies between project components for coherence, and trust among participants and stakeholders through the application of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) criteria for their and partners’ activities. This is especially critical for projects in which grantees provide capacity development opportunities and sub-grants to local partners around project cycle management. This can alleviate risks related to potential delays in proposed timeframes, without compromising the overall timeline of the project and its objective.

Theme: Electoral Processes, Women's empowerment, Community activism, Rule of law, Youth engagement, Interaction with government, Media, Tools for knowledge

Tunisia activity, adjustment, challenge, correct, indicators, measure, monitoring, performance, relationship, results framework, risk mitigation, schedule, timing

Project: Strengthening Governance and Democratization Processes in Kenya and the East and Central Africa Region
Evaluation Date: May 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Although most of the project activities were directly relevant to the objective of strengthening the electoral process in Kenya, most of the activities were designed as a series of one-time efforts. This scattered nature lacked the programmatic links and followed-up needed to be effective beyond the activity level. Failure to collect outcome data made impact difficult to assess beyond the individual level. In order to achieve outcomes beyond outputs, follow-up efforts would have been needed in all four activity areas.

Theme: Community activism

Kenya coherence, impact

Project: Nigeria Procurement Monitoring Project
Evaluation Date: April 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project workshop covered a great deal of complex and challenging material on an intensive basis over two long days. Although materials were circulated in advance, according to participants, only those with a good prior knowledge of procurement and some understanding of the legal provisions of the Public Procurement Act would have been able to benefit fully from the workshop. Given the centrality of this activity to the project, it would have been sensible to eliminate at least one other activity in order to fully support this one.

Theme: Interaction with government

Nigeria ambition, curriculum, technical, workshop

Project: Nigeria Procurement Monitoring Project
Evaluation Date: April 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Ongoing activities require external funding. Given the need to maintain independence to ensure the credibility of its activities, accepting funding from the government is not an option for the grantee Although some of the longer-established NGOs are able to support some level of monitoring activity from their own resources, inevitably, the overall level of monitoring of procurement activity will decline without additional dedicated funding. Further, there is regular turnover in CSO ranks, and the level of knowledge required to be an effective monitor is significant.

Theme: Interaction with government

Nigeria income, procurement, sustainability

Project: Strengthening the Leadership of Women in Local Democracy – Gram Panchayats (Village Councils in India)
Evaluation Date: September 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

In order to assess the progress of the elected women beyond the project the grantee should strengthen its data collection. This will also help maintain their strategic focus. Remaining – and new – needs among the elected women should be assessed before embarking on new training activity supporting the women’s federations.

Theme: Women's empowerment

India needs, training

Project: Civil Society Support Initiative on Political Marginalization in the Niger Delta in Nigeria
Evaluation Date: December 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

A radio programme, based on a Democracy Roundtable, was produced and broadcast in four states. While the topic was relevant to the project, no matter how well-produced, a “one-off” radio broadcast will have done little to support project objectives. Properly planned, with programming produced with local communities on a continuing basis, and with links to community development activities, development broadcasting can be a very effective tool. If radio programming is selected as a core project activity, it must be well-integrated with other activities and be employed throughout the project.

Theme: Community activism

Nigeria impact, radio

Project: Development of Sustainable Voter Registration Methodologies in Sub-Saharan Africa
Evaluation Date: November 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Hands-on project management and close supervision of activities played a key role. All planned activities were carefully organized by the project management team. All project files seen by the evaluator show that each activity was the object of specific methodological guidance, setting priorities, identifying needs, and determining how to meet these goals.

Theme: Tools for knowledge

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa needs, project management

Project: Campagne d’Education au respect des Principes Démocratiques et Promotion du dialogue Démocratique au Burundi
Evaluation Date: November 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project strategy assessed the needs of municipal elected councillors’ through a survey. Based on this the project undertook trainings, meetings, and debates amongst political leaders and Parliamentarians. The project also translated the Electoral Code into Kirundi from French to make it more accessible to citizens. This activity was not foreseen in the project document. The project aimed to propose improvements to the electoral code however, the electoral code was already modified by the authorities and agreed political parties when the project started.

Theme: Community activism

Burundi adapt, language

Project: Support for Youth Involvement in Electoral Processes in Gabon
Evaluation Date: January 2016
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project completed only half of its planned activities. While certain outputs fell short of their target, others were characterized by duplication without any benefit from the additional activity.

Theme: Youth engagement

Gabon planning

Project: Support for Youth Involvement in Electoral Processes in Gabon
Evaluation Date: January 2016
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The resources needed to accomplish each sub-activity were not defined in advance in a realistic way. In some cases this impacted on other budgeted activities which could not be carried out. The actual costs of the social mobilization activities were very high given the poor results.

Theme: Youth engagement

Gabon budget, management

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