Evaluation of the Joint SDG Programme on Institutionalizing Social Protection in Nigeria
This Nigeria-based Joint Programme on Institutionalizing Social Protection aiming at accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, was implemented from January 2020 to June 2022. There were four participating UN organizations: the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Food Programme, the International Labour Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme. The project enhanced the social protection of Nigerian citizens through a variety of interventions, combining institutional strengthening strategies with policy- and capacity-strengthening, and also including direct activities to finance social protection through a pilot in Sokoto State in North-West Nigeria.
On behalf of UNICEF, Mindset, through its Nigeria office, carried out a gender-responsive end-line evaluation of the programme in collaboration with Samuel Hall between 2021 and 2022. Focusing on vulnerable households, including PWDs, the team assessed changes in social protection in Sokoto State. Mindset and Samuel Hall conducted interviews to understand the interrelations between stakeholders and to assess how coordination can be leveraged to develop and scale up social protection policies and strategies. Focus group discussions elicited insights from communities and beneficiaries and were complemented by over 700 household interviews to further understand beneficiary experiences. The data collection exercise involved overcoming several challenges such as dealing with incomplete beneficiary data and contact details.
