National Information Technology

Development Agency (NITDA)

Federal Ministry of Communications & Digital

Economy

OPERATIONAL GUIDE FOR NITDA SRAP MONITORING AND

EVALUATION (M&E) RESULT FRAMEWORK

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 1. NATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NITDA)
STRATEGIC ROADMAP AND ACTION PLAN (SRAP 2021 - 2024)

Background
The President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President
Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, mandated the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to
facilitate the use of digital technology to expand and diversify Nigeria’s economy. To the Ministry, this is a task
that must be achieved by refocusing efforts on facilitating the adoption of digital technologies. To execute the
Presidential mandate therefore, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim
Pantami, directed all parastatals in the Ministry to develop strategies, programs and initiatives to ensure the
attainment of the expected gains of expanding the digital space in Nigeria. To this end, each parastatal under
the ministry developed their individual strategies in line with relevant institutional mandates and goals of the
National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) being a parastatal under the Ministry plays
a critical role in NDEPS implementation. Being the apex IT regulator responsible for the development of
Standards, guidelines and frameworks in IT for Nigeria, took the bold step of mapping its 2021 to 2024 strategy
to the Presidential mandate and Ministerial directive, taking cognizance of its mandate and aligning it squarely
with the NDEPS. The implementation of the NITDA strategy will not only ensure the development, usage, and
sustainability of digital technologies but will also deepen Nigeria's economy digitally, diversify the economy,
promote innovation and lift millions out of poverty.
The process of developing NITDA’s strategy demands that a new vision for the Agency be articulated so that
the Agency will be on a continuous path of improvement. The process also demands that the Agency adjusts
and realigns its internal structures in a manner that would support the new vision and help to drive its
attainment. That is why NITDA is currently being restructured. The restructuring has seen the redefinition of
departmental functions and the refocusing of the operational mandate of some departments. Some
departments have been classified as public-facing and operational departments. The classification is to
specifically tailor operations towards key aspects of Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP). Other
departments strictly function as the agency's service departments to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of
internal operations.
In the process of the restructuring, a new department of digital economy has been created in compliance with
the directive of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and in accordance with the
Agency's new vision. The vision itself is a strategic response to the re-designation of the Ministry and the
expansion of its mandate to include the transformation of the country into a digital economy. The fundamental

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values captured in the current roadmap which will define the culture in the Agency for the next four years and
beyond are, putting people first, imbibing the attitude of innovation and applying professionalism in all we do.
The challenge, which we are glad to assume, is to implement the initiatives and processes in a way that reflects
these core values at all times. The solution lies in training and retraining of staff to ensure that the corporate
culture is systemically imbibed.

The NITDA SRAP

The NITDA SRAP is focused on the facilitation of a rapid transformation of the digital economy through
elaborate stakeholder collaborations in the implementation of the NDEPS. All the seven pillars of the Roadmap
and their objectives require extensive collaborations for their actualization. It is believed that a highly skilled
workforce motivated by a clear developmental vision and working with various stakeholders on properly
aligned initiatives and processes, would be more likely to deliver on the mission and mandate of the Agency in
line with the dictates of a digital economy.
The NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) for 2021-2024 has been inspired by the vision of the
National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). The NDEPS, which was developed to reposition the
Nigerian economy in order to take advantage of the many opportunities that digital technologies provide, is
based on 8-pillars for the acceleration of the National Digital Economy. These pillars align with the Economic
Recovery and Growth Plan and its successor Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan of the Federal Government as
well as the priorities assigned to the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
In developing SRAP 2021 - 2024, some policies of Government and public documents were consulted. These
policies and documents include the NDEPS, Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP), Tech4COVID
Committee Report, National Broadband Plan, Cybersecurity Policy, National eGovernment Master Plan, NITDA
Act, amongst others. These documents were consulted to get a good sense of the direction of the government
on pertinent issues of the economy and nation building.
In addition, the NITDA SRAP 2021 – 2024 is driven by three-pronged objectives, which are:
1. to articulate a new strategy for NITDA in consonance with the current aspirations of Government, the
realities of today and the demands of the future;
2. to contribute its quota towards the implementation of NDEPS especially within the framework of its
mandate; and
3. to implement programs that would facilitate the digital transformation of Nigeria.
In developing the new strategy for NITDA, certain considerations were made. In terms of alignment,
consideration was given to the NDEPS and its vision of transforming Nigeria into a leading digital economy,

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other relevant documents and policies of Government and the mandate of NITDA. Other considerations
include the grey areas that must be addressed in transforming Nigeria's Digital Economy; the need to have
SMART objectives and the importance of having an implementation structure that will ensure the successful
implementation of the strategy. The overall strategy was based on the seven strategic pillars and their
respective objectives. Other components of the strategy include implementable and granular initiatives that
were created with relevant key performance indicators (KPIs). This will ensure that the progress of the
achievement of the goals of these pillars are properly measured, evaluated and monitored. It will also help in
identifying and addressing issues that may be associated with the implementation of the roadmap.
The seven strategic pillars identified by the Agency as the fulcrum for the Roadmap are:
1) Developmental Regulation: Development of a regulatory framework that unlocks opportunities in the digital
economy across all sectors.
2) Digital Literacy and Skills: Development and adoption of digital literacy standards for Nigeria.
3) Digital Transformation: Transformation of government services and processes by leveraging digital
technologies.
4) Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Creation of an ecosystem for Innovation Driven Enterprises and
MSMEs to thrive.
5) Cybersecurity: To strengthen the cyberspace and reduce vulnerabilities exploitable by threat actors.
6) Emerging Technologies: Facilitation of the adoption and adaptation of emerging technologies in Nigeria.
7) Promotion of Indigenous Content: The creation of an enabling framework for the adoption of home-grown
innovation for a digital economy.
Consequently, the above pillars have been listed in line with the arrangement of the NDEPS pillars, each of the
pillars has been broken down into strategic initiatives that speak to its goal. The resultant initiatives were
further fragmented into activities and an implementation plan was in turn developed for these initiatives. Also,
a result monitoring framework was developed for identified key performance indicators of each of the
initiatives. Similarly, individual strategic pillar mapping that houses each pillar, its strategic goal, the initiatives
attached to the pillar and their desired impact has been developed. To ensure that this strategy is properly
implemented and adequately monitored for progress, an implementation framework has been developed with
the Director General leading the responsibility for project implementation and ensuring that the objectives of
SRAP 2021 - 2024 are met.
Lastly, this document is divided into three, the strategy document and two appendices (labelled A & B). The
first part narrates the strategy, which includes the background to the roadmap and its inspiration, NITDA's
strategic aspirations – vision, mission, core values, mandate, strategic context, strategic pillar mappings and

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implementation structure. Appendix A illustrates the implementation plan of the initiatives of each strategic
pillar and Appendix B shows their corresponding results and monitoring framework.

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 2. MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E) FRAMEWORK OF THE NATIONAL
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NITDA) STRATEGIC
ROADMAP AND ACTION PLAN (SRAP 2021 - 2024)

The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework

Monitoring is a routine process of data collection for tracking projects and programme inputs, processes and
outputs. Evaluation is conducted periodically and is a systematic assessment of the effectiveness of a project
and programme in reaching its aims and objectives. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) provides data and
evidence that informs decisions regarding a project and programme implementation, and ensures effective and
efficient use of resources. It describes a system that links strategic information (SI) obtained from various data
collection systems to decisions that improve interventions.
The impetus for the development of this Monitoring & Evaluation operational guide which builds upon the M&E
Framework for NITDA SRAP was based on several factors, with the ultimate aim of supporting the effective
delivery of NITDA SRAP interventions, ensure optimum performance, and to institutionalize learning.
Considerations included:
• Growing internal and external accountability requirements regarding projects and program
performance and this also applies to the NITDA SRAP implementation;
• Providing a clear framework and system to assess the extent to which NITDA SRAP activities and
initiatives are contributing to the national overall objective to contribute to National GDP, adoption of digital
technologies and innovations and contribute to service delivery improvements;
• As program integration and the need to demonstrate results and impact grow, M&E processes become
more complex and to ensure a common understanding of what best M&E practices look like throughout the
project cycle.
This document contains the M&E framework and reporting templates for NITDA SRAP, it will complement the
strategic plan initiatives implementation and guide the monitoring and reporting of NITDA SRAP deliverables. It
describes the overall M&E system and components, with specific guidance on procedure, roles, responsibilities,
and timelines. The purpose is to be used by stakeholders at all levels that contribute to or participate in the
NITDA SRAP M&E system to ensure high quality data is reported and resulting information is received in a timely
manner at all levels of the SRAP implementation. This document seeks to articulate the various M&E activities to
ensure that high quality data are produced and used to make informed decisions.

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Result-based Management and Monitoring Framework
Results and process monitoring is a key component of Implementation and progress measurement. Through
result-based monitoring, the programme results at all levels (impact, outcome, output, process and input) can
be measured to provide the basis for accountability, learning and informed decision-making at both programme
and policy level. Effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is essential. Result-based management and
monitoring framework will be used to monitor and strengthen NITDA SRAP activities and initiatives to measure
impact and to ensure that planned objectives are achieved.
Result-based framework will help implementers to understand level of project contributions achievement of
Nigeria’s goal of becoming a global digital economy. The M&E framework is not exhaustive, but will be reviewed
and updated to provide a cross-cutting and multi-sector approach to planning for improvement in
implementation and monitoring throughout the project lifecycle.

Purpose of the M&E Framework

The purpose of project and program monitoring is to refine and optimize the approach to delivering the
expected results. The monitoring system is intended to assess the impact of the project and program and to
assess how consistently the project and program is operated relative to its design and planned objectives. The
intention is to gather information that will help program administrators, stakeholder, beneficiaries and policy
maker to assess program operation, and make informed decisions. The monitoring process will ideally lead to
tracking of progress and results at various level, identification of bottlenecks in program operation and to
suggest areas for improvement. It would inform program implementers, in particular, on the ‘nuts and bolts’ of
program operation. To help the program managers to track, collect, analyze, document and disseminate
performance results, as well as understand the changes in the target population groups.
The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework is therefore developed with the aim to:
 Collect evidence of activities and results;

 Assess the quantity and quality of achievements of targets,

 Identify operational gaps in the program and accordingly recommend best ways to address them to
improve program efficiency;

 Provide clear guidance for M&E data management processes that will enable systematic collection,
collation, processing, analysis, and interpretation and use of data;

 Help define a list of core indicators that enables tracking of progress among different interventions and
sub-population groups;

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  Help identify issues for operations research that offer valuable solutions and thereby improve efficiency
of the program;

 Describe the key data sources to be used to gather necessary M&E data.

 Establish clear information flow channels between the different implementation levels and
stakeholders;

 Develop a plan for strengthening the capacity of all partners involved in the monitoring and evaluation
of the program.

 Describe the mechanisms for dissemination of critical M & E products amongst stakeholders,
implementing agencies and the public.

Objectives of the M&E Framework

The objectives of the M&E framework for NITDA SRAP are to:
 Guide the systematic data collection, analysis, reporting, use and feedback at all levels of management
and stakeholders.
 Facilitate the standardization of M&E methodologies and tools across multiple actors at various
programme levels so that meaningful comparisons can be made over time.
 Define the selected M&E indicators in line with NITDA SRAP objectives and targets.
 Identify capacity needs for the full implementation of the strategic initiatives.
 Provide the platform for partnership, networking and collaboration to enhance the sharing and
utilization of information among stakeholders for effective programme implementation.

Roles and Responsibilities of Stakeholders in Implementation of the NITDA SRAP M&E framework
The implementation of the M&E framework is the responsibility of the NITDA departmental staff and NITDA
SRAP implementation team, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy,
including its other Agencies and relevant stakeholders. All parties have important roles to play in ensuring:
 Effective data collection, collation, analysis and reporting.
 Regular M&E training and mentoring of implementing departments.
 Dissemination of M&E results to all stakeholders.
 Data use to inform programme strategies and allocation of funds.
 Sufficient funding for M&E activities.

Component of the NITDA SRAP M&E framework

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 Statement
Impact: A transformed Nigeria with a leading
digital economy, providing quality life and digital
economies for all Nigerians to take advantage of
the many opportunities that digital technologies
provide.
Outcome 1:
Enhanced Opportunities for Nigeria to Enable
Market Creating Innovations
Outcome 2:
Increased rate of Digital literacy and Skills
Outcome 3:
Increased level of digitisation and digitalisation
across both public and private sectors
Outcome 4:
Strengthened Nigerian digital economy through
increased ICT contribution to GDP
Outcome 5:
Reduced System Vulnerabilities Exploitable by
Threat Actors
Outcome 6:
Increased benefit from the Opportunities afforded
by Emerging Technologies
Outcome 7:
Increased consumption (value) of indigenous IT
products and services
Output (Initiatives)
All outputs are contained in the embedded Result
Framework document (Excel document)
Indicator
1. Progress towards achieving sector targets in line
with Government priorities
2. Progress towards achieving set targets for selected
Sustainable Development Goals
Extent to which developed regulations supports,
unlocks and enhances Opportunities
for Nigeria to Enable Market Creating Innovations
% digital literacy rate at Federal and State level
Extent to which adoption of digital innovation
platforms or solutions leads to improved productivity
and service delivery
% contribution of ICT to GDP
Extent to which implemented initiatives leads to
reduction in system vulnerabilities
Cases of derived benefits from adoption of emerging
technologies
Extent to which Extent to which indigenous IT
products leads to improved productivity and service
delivery
All corresponding indicators are contained in the
embedded Result Framework document (Excel
document)
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 3. MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E) PLAN, PROCESSES AND APPROACHES
Evaluation, Reviews, Surveys, Surveillance or Special Studies/Learning documentation
This M&E plan and process guide for NITDA SRAP will offer several strategies for evaluation. The strategies
would be used to assess the effectiveness, relevance, accountability and learning. Proposed strategies for
evaluation outlined below will be agreed upon before finalization of the M&E operational guide.

Process Evaluation
The process evaluation will help to determine activities implemented as planned, what resources are used, what
services are offered, how many people are reached, and who the strategic plan is reaching. This will be carried
out at initiative implementation level through routine data at during engagement with various stakeholders.

Outcome Evaluation, Reviews and Surveys

While the activities/process and initiatives level indicators will be obtained within the routine M & E system,
outcome and impact level indicators will be captured through Periodic assessment, reviews and surveys that will
be conducted by Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, NITDA office, and implementing
stakeholders to determine outcome of intervention vis-a-vis strategic pillar outcomes. Other sources of data will
be from external sources such as SDG Reports and other available reports as indicated in the data sources for
each outcome level result on the Results framework. In-house data will also be collected through quarterly
reviews and surveys.

Special Studies/Learning documentation

Special studies and operations research would also be undertaken to meet special NITDA SRAP initiatives
implementation operational and M&E needs. These special studies would be undertaken to explain processes,
such as how and why government investment on digital transformation worked or did not work (Learning).

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M&E Implementation Calendar
Implementation of the M&E plan and processes shall be closely monitored through joint monitoring, supportive
supervision by departmental and workstream heads and through data quality assessment visits. These
monitoring and supervisory visits will be coordinated by NITDA implementation committee and nominated
officers from the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. The detailed M&E plan is outlined
below;
Implementation Plan for the M&E system for NITDA SRAP

SN Activity Responsibility Output Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

1 Stakeholders Meeting on NITDA SRAP Draft M&E 2nd NA NA NA

Zero Draft of the M&E Committee Framework, Quarter
Result Framework, and M&E Operational
Operational Guide and Workstream Guide and
Reporting templates Reporting
templates

2 Review and Feedback on NITDA SRAP Draft M&E 3rd NA NA NA

M&E Result Framework, Consultants Framework, Quarter
Operational Guide and Operational
Reporting templates from Guide and
Stakeholders incorporated Reporting
templates

3 Revised M&E Result NITDA SRAP Final M&E 3rd NA NA NA

Framework, Operational Committee Result Quarter
Guide and Reporting and M&E Framework,
templates based on inputs Workstream Operational
from Stakeholders Guide and
submitted to DG for Reporting
approval templates

4 M&E Result Framework, NITDA SRAP M&E Result 4th On- On- On-
Operational Guide and Committee Framework, Quarter going going going
Reporting templates and M&E Operational
disseminated to Workstream Guide and
stakeholders for use Reporting
templates
available for
stakeholder use

5 Develop database NITDA SRAP Database/MIS 3rd Operati Opera Opera

(Management Information Committee developed and Quarter onal tional tional
System) for monthly and and M&E operational
quarterly reporting at NITDA
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SN Activity Responsibility Output Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

M&E Division (Evidence Workstream

folders and links)

6 Data quality assessment NITDA SRAP DQA 4th On- On- On-
exercise Committee conducted Quarter going going going
and M&E
Workstream

7 Conduct supervisory visit to NITDA SRAP Supervisory 4th On- On- On-
monitor service quality Committee visit conducted Quarter going going going
using the checklist and M&E
Workstream

8 Quarterly progress report on NITDA SRAP Quarterly 4th Quarter Quart Quart
initiatives and workstream Committee reports Quarter ly erly erly
implementation and M&E received from
Workstream states

9 Dissemination of Quarterly NITDA SRAP Quarterly NA Quarter Quart Quart

reports to stakeholders Committee report ly erly erly
and M&E
Workstream

10 Annual stakeholders NITDA SRAP Review of HGSF NA Annuall Annua Annua

meeting to review activities Committee activities y lly lly
and progress (Annual and M&E
Assessment) Workstream

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M&E Budget
The M&E budget is necessary for the success of every activity on the M&E implementation plan. The Budget will
be provided and embedded in this document by the NITDA SRAP Implementation committee.

Data Collection & Management Activities and Management Information System (MIS)
The Roadmap and Action Plan 2021 – 2024 will use a results-based monitoring approach to assess progress and
support project implementation in accordance with international best practice. Monthly and quarterly
monitoring by the Project Monetary and Implementation Support (Corporate Planning Strategy-CPS) will ensure
that every stakeholder, that is involved in the implementation of the project, puts in the required effort(s) to
implement the activities of each initiative as well as the corresponding KPIs. This will also ensure that
stakeholders take timely corrective measures when required and will enable joint accountability for achieving
the project objectives.
Consequently, a framework in the form of a table has been developed for each initiative. It consists of the name
of each indicator for that objective, its unit of measurement, the baseline data, the achievement target (broken
down into yearly figures and an end target), the required frequency for data gathering, the source the data is
expected to be extracted from and who is responsible for the collection of the particular data.
The Roadmap and Action Plan 2021 – 2024 project will use a web-enabled, management information system
(MIS) to manage information and report progress. While the PIO can constantly print out its monthly, quarterly
and yearly reports, the platform will also afford relevant stakeholders (with varying levels of access) to view
various components of the dashboard to monitor progress in real-time.

Monitoring Templates and Data Collection Tools

Data collection involves obtaining data from the implementation of the various initiatives of the SRAP and other
complimentary activities of the programme and transferring them onto the prescribed monitoring templates
and tools. The M&E unit will manage the administration of the tools for effective monitoring of the SRAP at each
level of results. The following reports will be developed and disseminated to all stakeholders; Quarterly Progress
Reports and Annual Reports.

5. APPENDICES

Draft NITDA Result

Framework - 27052021.xlsx
1. Draft NITDA SRAP Result Framework
 NITDA M&E
Quarterly Progress Report - Template.docx
2. NITDA Draft M&E Quarterly Progress Report – Template

NITDA
Departmental Report - Template.docx
3. NITDA Departmental Report – Template

NITDA Annual
Report - Template.docx
4. NITDA Annual Report – Template