NATIONAL EVALUATION PLATFORM: TANZANIA
Better use of data. Stronger programmes.
Greater impact.
BETTER EVALUATION MEANS BETTER HEALTH.
Accelerating national progress on women’s and children’s health and
nutrition—in a way that is equitable, sustainable, and accountable—requires
that Tanzania scale up interventions proven to work in local contexts. The
National Evaluation Platform (NEP) equips the Government of Tanzania with
tools and skills to evaluate health and nutrition programmes by identifying,
systematically compiling and rigorously analysing data from diverse sources.
Empowered with evidence, national and regional leaders can make strategic
decisions that will achieve maximum health and nutrition impact for the
women and children of Tanzania.
NEP IS TANZANIA-OWNED AND TANZANIA-LED.
From 2014 to 2016, Tanzania is building NEP, with technical guidance from the
Johns Hopkins University Institute for International Programs (IIP) and funding
support from the Government of Canada. As the NEP ‘home’ institution,
the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) maintains the data system, conducts
analyses, and leads hands-on capacity building workshops with teams of other
public sector NEP stakeholders. Public sector institutions focused on MNCH&N
have pledged their support for NEP and are leading actors in every aspect of
NEP development and use. These institutions include: Ministry of Health and
Social Welfare; Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre; Prime Minister’s Office of
Regional Administration and Local Government Authority; the Prime Minister’s
Office (Scaling Up Nutrition); Sokoine University of Agriculture; Muhimbili
University of Health and Allied Science. A High-Level Advisory Committee
(HLAC) of leaders from NEP stakeholder institutions identifies priority evaluation
questions, provides guidance on usefulness of NEP and ways to improve it,
receives NEP findings, and conveys those findings to decision-makers for use
in strengthening health and nutrition policies and programmes.
Tanzania is one of four African countries that are building their own NEPs.
Successful development of the platform in Tanzania can provide a model
for replication and adaptation of the NEP approach in other countries with
substantial health and nutrition challenges.
THE NATIONAL EVALUATION
PLATFORM (NEP) IS…
A new way to assess the effectiveness and impact of maternal,
newborn and child health and
nutrition (MNCH&N) programmes.
A systematic approach for
identifying and compiling health
and nutrition data from diverse
sources, and ensuring that they are
available for programme evaluation.
A core set of analytical methods
for developing evidence-based
answers to countries’ pressing
programme and policy questions.
A commitment to building
sustainable national capacity.
THE NEP PROCESS
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Data
Analysis
Communication
NEP brings together key health,
nutrition and contextual data from a
multi-sectoral range of sources including
household surveys, censuses, routine
health management information systems
reporting, and other sectors such as
education and environment. NEP is guided
by the Common Evaluation Framework—
a model for change that maps inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes and impact—
and data on indicators from each component
of the framework are used in evaluation.
The NEP Technical Task Team, comprising
monitoring and evaluation experts from
NEP stakeholder institutions, receives
training to formulate specific questions
with direction from the HLAC, assess
data quality, perform data analysis, and
provide findings to government decisionmakers, programme planners, and other
stakeholders. As additional data become
available, NEP is updated, creating a
longitudinal data set that enables analysis
of trends over time.
NEP enables use of rigorous analytical
methods to assess the impact of
programmes and strategies. It supports
dose-response analyses, time trend
analyses and Lives Saved Tool (LiST)
modelling. Tanzanian policy-makers
can commission the Technical Task
Team to conduct comparative analyses
of contextual factors affecting local
programme implementation and results,
including population dynamics, climate,
conflict and social and cultural factors.
NEP also facilitates equity analysis to
identify populations that are not being
reached by key interventions.
Using NEP findings, the Government
can identify and clearly convey the
country’s MNCH&N needs, its progress
in meeting those needs, and the gaps
that remain. NEP helps strengthen
capacity to clearly communicate results
to communities, partners and donors,
and to make an evidence-based case
for investment in and implementation of
programmes that are proven to work. It
fosters accountability, enabling the Tanzanian Government to accurately, consistently and comprehensively report, through
national and international accountability
frameworks, such as the Commission on
Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health, on fulfilment of
national MNCH&N commitments.
WITH NEP, TANZANIA CAN BUILD PLANS
ON A FOUNDATION OF EVIDENCE.
NEP’s continuous evaluation process strengthens programmes from start
to finish. Programmes are assessed within their complex, multi-partner
contexts, so programme ‘silos’ are broken down and services can be more
strategically and effectively integrated. More comprehensive data and
analyses enable programme planners to identify unreached populations,
and to make adjustments based on the most recent evidence. Programme
monitoring and results data are available for further analysis through a central
platform, so successful projects are more likely to be scaled up and replicated.
Policy-makers can base investment decisions on objective evidence of need
and intervention effectiveness. NEP empowers decision-makers in Tanzania
to base their strategic and programme planning on a strong, objective
foundation of evidence.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.bit.ly/NEPlatform
[email protected]
Photos: Front: ©2012 FELM/organization, Courtesy of Photoshare; This Page: ©2012 Jing Zeng/JHSPH, Courtesy of Photoshare.