ECOWAS Organizes M& E Workshop in Lagos, Nigeria, Set- tone for a Data-Driven Future for Regional Programmes.
By Raymond Enoch
In a bold stride toward transforming data driven governance in West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has concluded a high-impact, five-day regional workshop on Results-Based Project and Programme Management.in Lagos, Nigeria.
This strategic capacity-building event brought together over 32 programme officers from across all ECOWAS institutions and specialized agencies with a singular mission: to institutionalise a performance-driven culture rooted in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL).
The workshop, championed by the ECOWAS Directorate of Human Resources and the Internal Services Department, marks a turning point in how regional programmes are designed, implemented, and measured. With representation from critical sectors such as Finance, Free Movement, Early Warning, External Relations, Strategic Planning, Legal Affairs, Communication, Peacekeeping, Parliament, Gender, and more, the gathering became a melting pot of ideas and action geared toward creating a results-conscious ECOWAS.
Declaring the workshop open, Professor Nazifi Abdullahi Darma, Honourable Commissioner for Internal Services, who delivered a rousing call to action said that
“It is no longer enough to say we implemented activities — we must measure the change they create. Every programme must align with clear results, and every staff member must see themselves as part of that measurable impact.”
From day one, the focus was clear: move beyond activity-based implementation and into the realm of meaningful, measurable results. Participants were immersed in Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation (RBM&E) frameworks, gaining hands-on tools to enhance accountability from programme conception to delivery.
Mrs. Kete Gillis-Harry, Principal Officer for Career Management & Training, echoed the Commissioner’s message, urging participants to embrace data-driven decision-making as an operational standard:
“We must focus on measurable, meaningful, and sustainable results. This training is a key step toward a culture of accountability.”
Leading the facilitation, Professor Aliyu A. Ahmed, a renowned M&E expert, stressed the importance of breaking institutional silos and building synergy across departments to ensure cohesive development impact.
Throughout the sessions, participants dissected recurring operational pitfalls—including fragmented reporting, late M&E integration, and poor donor compliance—and explored actionable solutions. The workshop also emphasized the proactive engagement of communication, finance, procurement, and legal teams from the early stages of the project lifecycle.
A standout feature of the training was its collaborative model. Participants worked across directorates to co-develop standardized tools and interdepartmental coordination protocols—cornerstones of a unified ECOWAS results framework.
Key Workshop Objectives Included,
Strengthening internal capacity for Results-Based Management across ECOWAS institutions,
Enhancing donor compliance and visibility through standardized reporting tools,
Institutionalising Monitoring & Evaluation from programme design to post-implementation
and promoting interdepartmental collaboration and reducing implementation delays
Embedding data and evidence in strategic decision-making
The Lagos workshop is more than a training—it is a declaration of intent. As ECOWAS seeks to bolster its regional credibility and impact, this initiative signals a transformative shift toward transparency, efficiency, and performance-based governance.
In the words of one participant, “This is not just a workshop; it is the beginning of a movement.”
With this ambitious step, ECOWAS renews its commitment to excellence, reinforcing its vision of a more integrated, results-oriented West Africa.
