Presented at the Nigeria MEASURE Evaluation End-of-Phase-III Event in June 2014.

1. Promoting Methods for Using
HIV/AIDS and Health Information
for Decision Making
End-of-Phase III Dissemination Meeting
Sheraton Hotel & Towers
June 18, 2014
Tessy Ochu and Mercy Morka

2. Background
Nigeria is committed to a strong health
information system (HIS) as an integral part
of the healthcare infrastructure:
 Functional M&E system is necessary to generate
quality health data;
 Use of M&E data is essential to maintain effective
service delivery, workforce, and leadership within
the health system.

3. Challenges in Nigeria
 Limited skilled human resources;
 Inadequate use of information by program sites
and facilities;
 Generally under-funded M&E systems and
activities; and
 Parallel M&E systems (e.g., tools, database,
training curricula, information flow, and reporting)
used by partners that are not compatible or linked
with National data system: NNRIMS

4. Project Aim
Support Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening the
Health Information System (HIS):
Technical assistance and training on how to
increase demand for quality data and facilitate use
of information.
Link health information at all levels, program
managers, implementers, and decision makers to
improved services

5. Project Objectives
 Strengthen knowledge and capacity of national,
state, and local governments; sites and facilities;
and implementing partners
 Increase demand for quality data and facilitate
information use for program improvement, policy-
related decision making, and promote a data use
culture.
 Leverage existing relationships to champion new
approaches that can overcome data use
challenges.

6. Target Groups
 Ministry of Health (MOH),
 State Agencies for the Control of AIDS
(SACA),
 and other health-related agencies at the
national level and in its three states of
operation (Anambra, Kano and Lagos) to
increase DDU.

7. Strategies
 Conducted participatory assessments to
identify barriers to data use; plan solutions;
and develop action joint plans to strengthen
DDU within organizations.
 Conducted DDU/M&E training workshops for
health professionals in target agencies

8. Strategies contd.
 Collaborated with partners to apply
MEASURE Evaluation DDU tools:
• Assessment of Constraints to Data Use
• Data Flow and Information Use Map
• Stakeholder Engagement

9. Strategies contd.
Data Demand and Use Tools
 Performance of Routine Information
Systems Management
 Framework for Linking Data with Action
 Data Demand and Use Coaching Guide

10. Strategies contd.
 Provided ongoing coaching to health
professional teams from targeted agencies
 Documented evidence of data use in decision-
making among partners
 Advised on DDU intervention strategies to
enhance data-informed decision making at the
state and organizational levels

11. Accomplishments
 Trained 55 people at a national level
training in 2010
 Trained 97 persons across 3 (Kano, Lagos &
Anambra) states
 Coaching sessions strengthened collaboration
among partners
 Contributed to establishment of M&E Unit in Kano
State Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social
Development

12. Accomplishments contd.
 Strengthened Local Government Area M&E
systems with regular data review sessions
 Advocacy for data reviews led to additional
funding for local data review meetings in Ikeja.
 Greater local political support for Primary Health
Care Center services in Ikeja and Ekpe

13. Accomplishments contd.
Role in establishment of National HIV/AIDS
Resource Center at NACA.
Served as a member of the NHRC Steering
committee which led and coordinated the
establishment of the NHRC
Supported the development of the NHRC
Operations manual

14. Accomplishments contd.
 Data sharing led to decision maker visits to
affected Local Government Areas
 Addressed Human Resource gaps in Murtala
Mohammed Specialist Hospital in Kano.

15. Future Data Use Needs
 Develop joint-capacity building plans integrated
with annual work plans for State/Local agencies
 Provide collaborative capacity building of M&E
professionals based on health program needs:
 Data analysis
 Communication strategy
 Advocacy and engagement with data users

16. Future Data Use Needs
 Promote State and Local ownership of National
data systems.
 Advocate for resources to implement data-
informed decisions at the State and Local level.
 Facilitate National and State-level collaborations
to promote improved health data system policy
and a data use culture

17. THANK YOU!

18. MEASURE Evaluation is a MEASURE project funded by the U.S.
Agency for International Development and implemented by the
Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill in partnership with Futures Group International, ICF
Macro, John Snow, Inc., Management Sciences for Health, and
Tulane University. Views expressed in this presentation do not
necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the U.S. Government.
MEASURE Evaluation is the USAID Global Health Bureau's primary
vehicle for supporting improvements in monitoring and evaluation in
population, health and nutrition worldwide.
Visit us online at http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure